As a Muslim
Location
To my Country I am a citizen
but to my people I am a foreigner
They see me but they only see
fighter jets and burning buildings
To my Country I am a citizen
but to the mother who watched the Twin Towers fall
I am nothing but “a threat to us all”
The scarf on my head is simply proof
of the blood on my hands
To my Country I am a citizen
but I walked into a store and a sign on the door read
“Welcome”, but the cashier said “You!
Yeah you!
Go back to your country”
But I am not just a scarf
I am a flower you cannot stop from blooming
I am so much not even the stars can spell out my name
I am not crumbling buildings I am a wall that stands tall
“Don’t you get hot?” asks the girl next in line
Oh no darling, because I am a supernova lit on fire and stars don’t burn
they shine.