Too Bold. Poem by Geoffrey Fafard

Someone called me racist
Yes, they did, the other day
I said I loved my country
They didn't wait to hear me say
What country.
What country?
My grandfather was Armenian
Got mixed up in
The genocide when just a boy
Moved to India to start again
Got mixed up in
Partition and independence
Moved to Australia to start again
Mum moved to Canada to start again
And was left to her devices
Then to Oz to join her
Family and start again
So I sit and listen to all the history
And when I say I love my country
I am too Nationalistic, too racially inclined
Not One World supportive…..
I smile and wonder at enlightenment.

My only advice to my assailant is
Thanks for your understanding
May it stay at this level and
Keep you company
All the short days
Of your life
Or till you start again…..