Happy like a pound puppy

photo: thedailydog.wordpress.com

Happy like a pound puppy

I was in third grade…

lots of stuff happened by then,

to me and my family

We were safe in the nest of grandparents, one day

They lived in the back house ~ us up front

under their watchful eye

But mom needed to break free

So she took us away

I was born Linda Eleanor Del Nagro,
pronounced:  Nay – gro

The Negro with an “e” got changed to a Negro with an “a’

in the thirties (for apparent reasons)
by relatives I never knew

Life was hard enough on kids back then

and for me, too ~
in third grade

I learned how to spell it

Capital “D” – e – l   then   Capital “N” – a – g – r – o

I wrote it with a cursive swing,

at the end

Then during summer break on a summer day,
Mom got married again (between third / and fourth)

So I became someone else

I was kind of glad (of course)

because the other kids called us Niggers

I was happy a little bit for a little bit

Again I spelled my name ~ but different
Capital “C” – o – r   then   c – o – r  – a – n

There, that’s settled

Happy like a pound puppy

in a new home

in fourth grade

with a new name

different but still the same

for a little bit,

anyway

ldn