SAHR AMARA (track)

I have been in this country for six months.
Yet I don’t understand much about American teenagers.
They have so much, but nothing of value.
They want even more, but nothing satisfies them.
In West Africa when I was in primary school
I had to walk three miles a day to school – barefooted.
Here I run in shoes that cushion every step.
In my country if I ate more than one time a day
I thanked Allah for his blessing.
Here they eat for lack of something better to do.
In my country education is a gift, much prized.
Here it is considered an arduous task, much hated.
Mind you, I am not criticizing the American teen.
He is open and friendly like the morning African sun.
But, alas, he is also as shallow as the stream
In the road during the rainy season.
I am trying hard to understand American culture.
It will take me more than six months.