For my mother and father, Shahin and Nasser

Behnaz Hejazian
I grew up in a family that speaks
Farsi first, and English second
whose skin is darker than the
other families on the block-
dark stain on a whitewashed street-
felt like being a stranger
in a strange land
You both had accents.
As a child, I thought you
sounded funny when you spoke
So different than Kristen's
parents next door
who didn't add an "e"
before words that begin with an "s"
At school, or ehschool as you would say,
the kids laughed
when the teacher tried to
pronounce my name, and couldn't
I blamed you for making
my name so hard
I came home crying
claiming It is your fault
that I am different
It's taken me years of growing up
to understand
different is not bad
Years to appreciate our customs
Our native language, Farsi
Our Persian heritage-
me, watching you
make tea in a samovar-
Our culture, so steeped in Islamic tradition
where we are from
Tehran, Iran
Now I've learned to
love your accents
the way you add an "e"
before words that begin with an "s"
Now I thank you
for making my name so hard
©2001 Behnaz Hejazian

Institute for Human Communications/Humanities
California State University, Monterey Bay

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