Dona E. Bowens

So there my Black ass is in Cork on Paddy’s Day, decked out in green and smoking a cigarette outside the pub. A native lad walks up to me, gives me the once over and says, “We don’t do that here. You look like a Yank with all the green and whatnot.”

I took a pull on my smoke, and after exhaling, I said, “Look at me. Really look at me.” I did a sweeping motion with my hand up and down my body and circled my hand around my face. “I’m NEVER going to blend in here,” I said. “Never.”

The Irish lad thought for a beat and said, “You got a point. Let me buy you a drink.”

Happy Paddy’s Day to all those who blend in and especially to those who don’t.