[LJ Idol 9: Week 28] Mother Poland
My grandparents would not let my mother learn Polish,
That stigmatized tongue of immigrants and ignorance.
So she studied French and Latin, history and science,
Worked hard, brought home the best grades in her class.
The high school valedictorian who was the dropouts’ daughter -
America, Land of Opportunity, had served her well.
And when she married, she thought ‘twas just as well
To leave behind a last name that was just so...Polish
And marked her as a Dunkirk steelworker’s daughter,
The man taunted as “Polack! Dumb Polack!” in all ignorance
By professional engineers who scorned the working-class,
And could not see my grandfather’s gift for science.
Our people, our culture, we long have cherished science -
Mikolaj Kopernik (called Copernicus), Maria Sklodowska Curie as well -
I learned the common, Westernized names in my science class,
But my mother made sure that I knew they were Polish,
Refusing to perpetuate this piece of cultural ignorance,
Refuting the lie of “dumb Polack!” for her daughter
And she was there, ready to comfort her freshman daughter
Who was upset with a biology classmate who proselytized Creation Science
And with girls in the dorm who loved their jokes about “Polack ignorance”,
Though they’d never tell a “racist” joke and banned “dumb blonde” jokes as well.
"They care that my roommate is half-black but not that I'm half-Polish!"
I cried on the phone to Matka, then dried my tears and went to class
We've come far from our roots, no longer peasants or working-class.
My mother and my grandmother are always happy to see my daughter.
My daughter is happy to learn from them a few words in Polish,
And tell them all about how much she loves school, and science,
And at the visit's end, we say "pozegnanie" - farewell -
She asks about other Polish words, and I admit my ignorance
And I remain grateful for the innocent ignorance of my daughter,
Unexposed to that arrogant class of people who are stunned that science
Can be done well by someone who is both a girl and Polish!
That stigmatized tongue of immigrants and ignorance.
So she studied French and Latin, history and science,
Worked hard, brought home the best grades in her class.
The high school valedictorian who was the dropouts’ daughter -
America, Land of Opportunity, had served her well.
And when she married, she thought ‘twas just as well
To leave behind a last name that was just so...Polish
And marked her as a Dunkirk steelworker’s daughter,
The man taunted as “Polack! Dumb Polack!” in all ignorance
By professional engineers who scorned the working-class,
And could not see my grandfather’s gift for science.
Our people, our culture, we long have cherished science -
Mikolaj Kopernik (called Copernicus), Maria Sklodowska Curie as well -
I learned the common, Westernized names in my science class,
But my mother made sure that I knew they were Polish,
Refusing to perpetuate this piece of cultural ignorance,
Refuting the lie of “dumb Polack!” for her daughter
And she was there, ready to comfort her freshman daughter
Who was upset with a biology classmate who proselytized Creation Science
And with girls in the dorm who loved their jokes about “Polack ignorance”,
Though they’d never tell a “racist” joke and banned “dumb blonde” jokes as well.
"They care that my roommate is half-black but not that I'm half-Polish!"
I cried on the phone to Matka, then dried my tears and went to class
We've come far from our roots, no longer peasants or working-class.
My mother and my grandmother are always happy to see my daughter.
My daughter is happy to learn from them a few words in Polish,
And tell them all about how much she loves school, and science,
And at the visit's end, we say "pozegnanie" - farewell -
She asks about other Polish words, and I admit my ignorance
And I remain grateful for the innocent ignorance of my daughter,
Unexposed to that arrogant class of people who are stunned that science
Can be done well by someone who is both a girl and Polish!
