a/n: when we did this poem in English the other day my first thoguht was Callie Rose! It's so perfect for her! This story is dedicated to my friend Steph who's birthday it is today! Happy Birthday Stephie! Ya getting old now! Please R&R everyone!:
Half-Caste:
Callie Rose:
Excuse me
standing on one leg
I'm half-caste.
As my teacher started to read out this poem by John Agard I found myself, for the first time ever, paying attention to the lesson completely. The poem grabbed my attention. It was me. Halfer, Half-Caste, it was the same was in the middle. Not a Nought, not a Cross, just in between. Not excepted, or wanted by either. Or forced to chose between the two. There was no way I could do that. I'm not a Nought and I'm not a Cross, I'm both. I'm neither.
Explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean when Picasso
mix red an green
is a half-caste canvas?
All the things the teacher had said in past lessons about writing techniques suddenly made sense, and poetry no longer seemed so boring. Ok, let me rephrase that, poetry still was, and always would be, boring, but just this once wasn't. This poem was just amazing. John Agard was amazing. He completely understood what it was like to be like me. This poem made perfect sense to me. Red and Green made Brown. A metaphor for him - for me - because brown is sort of what you get when you mix black and white. When you mix Nought and Cross.
explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean when light an shadow
mix in de sky
is a half-caste weather?
well in dat case
england weather
nearly always half-caste
in fact some o dem cloud
half-caste till dem overcast
so spiteful dem don't want de sun pass
ah rass?
I loved the sarcasm that was now coming out in this poem. And the truth of it. I had to be honest most people would probably take no notice of this poem and think no more of it. But I would never forget it. For the first time in my life it felt like someone understood what it was like to be like me. And he felt like me. He was so obviously fed up, and didn't understand the point of it
explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean tchaikovsky
sit down at dah piano
an mix a black key
wid a white key
is a half-caste symphony?
I had heard some music by Tchaikovsky, he was an amazing pianist. He always created the perfect harmony by using both the black and the white keys of the piano. Because life is a mixture of Noughts and Crosses, and people in between. It doesn't have to be so seperate, but people don't seem to understand that only together can a perfect harmony be created. Only if people learnt that Crosses aren't more important,and Noughts aren't nothing, and mixtures like me are still whole people!
Explain yuself
wha yu mean
Ah listening to yu wid de keen
half of mih ear
Ah looking at yu wid de keen
half of mih eye
an when I'm introduced to yu
I'm sure you'll understand
why I offer yu half-a-hand
an when I sleep at night
I close half-a-eye
consequently when I dream
I dream half-a-dream
an when moon begin to glow
I half-caste human being
cast half-a-shadow
I couldn't work out if the poet was angry with society or just fed up of it, and it made me realise I wasn't sure if I was angry or just fed up. I guess I was both. I was angry that people were so stupid they couldn't just except Noughts, Crosses, 'Half-Castes' are all just people. We all have feelings, we all have dreams and ambitions. People are just so stupid that they can't see that we're all just people.
but yu must come back tomorrow
wid de whole of yu eye
an de whole of yu ear
an de whole of yu mind.
an I will tell yu
de other half
of my story
Fan-freaking-tastic! He really did get what it was like 100%. It's not us - me, him, and over people who are in the middle - who are the halves, if anything we're the ones who are truly whole. It's the Crosses who think they're better than the Noughts, and the Noughts who think the Crosses are scum that are the ones who are really half. They only see and hear what they want to see and hear, and they don't see the full story, because they don't want to see it. They don't want to listen, and be proved wrong. They put people down because it's easier than hearing the whole story. It's easier than listening. But they don't realise people like me, and John Agard are always going to be here.
And I'm not a Nought. I'm not a Cross. I'm not a Halfer. I'm just Callie Rose.