Free

Over eight pounds at birth

As I child, I preferred not wearing shirts

I am a confutation of several nations

Black, Native American, White, with a splash of Chinese

Racial harmony… is… me!

For years, I was labeled as artistic

I would play piano with mis padres, sing, and act

At the same time, I was extremely good at math

A “cool nerd”

(One would say)

(That remains true today)

Clearly, the leader of her herd

Her squad…

Tall, but never with a feverish love of basketball

A girl who has a lot but does not want to have it all

Ah, goals like the American Dream

(Great Gatsby) Sueño Americano

Popularized and out of reach

There’s a point to the grand scheme

I share more than just my daydreams

Greater than believing

MLK was seeing

How does one see, though, if one is blind?

How shall I share if I am not given the time

Of day?

Left to cast away

A six-foot shadow gone astray

Hey, it is okay

My hue is original

As I look down from this pedestal

Who else is free?

Who is like me?

Oh, wait, I am sorry

There is only one Ashley Natalie

I’m free

I am a walking contradiction

With an addiction to conviction

Society tried to place me in its box

With the wrong measurements

I am the same lame kid who plays video games

I was neither selling nor embellishing it

Stereotypes (or the lack thereof) help define identities

Societies love to label

¿Por qué?

Why do people feel the urge to designate?

Is it to steer clear of the groups we hate?

Whether mice and men get second chances remains to be seen

Maybe it would happen if they weren’t typecast

Typecast

Pigeonholed

Well, this eagle right here is flying out of the coop

Not the same as her group

A feat that occurs naturally