I sat in my Social Studies Class
Clinging to the words of my teacher.
I was excited,
Because this was the year,
I was going to learn about myself.

In Grade Seven we studied China.
I learned of the Ming Dynasty,
And of the rise and fall of feudalism

We learned of Japan,
A country at its crossroads,
Torn between tradition and change.

We studied Brazil,
A country so rich in culture,
Wildlife and history.

We learned of World War I.
Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary
Was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip of Serbia
As so it commenced.

We learned of World War II.
Two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The first time that nuclear power had been used.
Millions of Jews were tortured and killed by the Nazis
While the world watched.

I had listened to all these things
Attentively, but never quite identifying.
But now it was my turn.
We were going to learn about me.

One morning I walked into class
And I took my usual place at my desk.
It was bleak outside.
It was cold, snowy, and windy.
But I was cheerful because today was the day.
I sat on the edge of my seat impatiently.

He began.
Blacks were brought over
As slaves on ships crossing the Atlantic.
They were brought over to the Caribbean and the United States
And used as a source of labour in the fields.
Slavery was abolished in Britain in 1807,
And it was not until 1865 that it was abolished in America.

There it was in a nutshell.
My history, and the beginnings of my culture
Summarized in a paragraph.

In that moment
Whatever light had shone
Was snuffed out by some invisible wind.
And suddenly,
I felt as bleak as it looked outside.