Ignorance Is Learned Poem by Riley Choma

Little blue eyed girl so innocent sits at home but not alone.

In a hetero normative christian home she hears her own father call her brother’s purple hat ‘faggy.’

Little blue eyed girl with innocence stained repeats such words to the boy with pink laces playing hopscotch.

Ignorance is learned.

Friendly boy with snow white skin loves friendly, beautiful, Hispanic girl.

In an all american conservative home he hears his mother ask at dinner “, how could you bring one of them into this home? ”

Little brother of the friendly boy beings years later to serve a Hispanic woman while working at Starbucks, and harshly says “go home” as she tries to order in less than perfect English.

Ignorance is learned.

Big headlines read ‘small’ and a little girl reads it as ‘beauty.’

Older now and not so little, a heavier set girl now purges and religiously uses scales.

Ignorance is learned.