Not a native speaker

But I'm not a native speaker

Never mind that

The first book I

read

At 7 -

Devoured

Dreamed

Imagined

And smelled

Was in English.

Never mind that

The first article I

had to my name

At 8 -

A tale

Simple but true

Was in English.

Never mind that

When I dreamed

And thought

And wove realms of fantasy

I only used

English.

Never mind that

When hope abandons

me

And tears beckon -

I pray

In English.

I have slowly and with some measure of bitterness realized, that Indians aren't considered 'native' English speakers. This word - 'native'; it has grated on my nerves ever since I stepped out of the country. No one owns any language, even if it's your mother tongue. Languages are so complex, products of thousands of years of evolution and innumerable additions, subtractions, borrowings, and layering. And they are like babies; anyone can adopt a tongue and make it their own. The poem above encapsulates my feelings on the "official" classification of "native" English speakers, as someone who has heard, spoken, read, and written English since she was born. I do speak four other languages (three Indian, and one European) but for better or worse, English IS my primary language.