Life in America

Every single day without fail a voice would blare out the words to an anthem that we loyally repeated,

Right hand over our heart

Left hand behind our back

Said in unison like a well instructed orchestra

And once the last words were said

The spell was broken and the chatter commenced

Too young to understand the meaning of what you just said but not too young to not participate

At the end of the day, I would run home and speak in the language of my family

Not the one used to recite the words to the flag earlier that day

I would color inside the lines while waiting for my dad to come home from work

When evening would roll around and the back door opened I knew he was home

With his chafed hands, weather beaten face and dirt covered clothes he would great my sister, my brother, my mother and I

He would complain of another back ache or soreness of his arm like he did of the weather during dinner and then retire early for the night to wake up again early for the day

My mother would clear the table and once everything was washed would sit with a stack of papers

All of the kids name were sprawled on each paper in her handwriting

The same logo that appeared on the cards she showed the lady at the clinic appeared on these papers

Tomorrow she would have take the whole stack to the green office in town or have the cards taken away

The tv would blare the news of how the “bad” people would be returned to where they come from

While two gringos argued about how our people were destroying the country, how they were taking money and jobs

And then move on to talk about the what the weather had been like

Today there is not much difference except now I notice the flash of panic that crosses my father’s eyes when roundups are discussed

How my mother does her best to downplay it all

I notice the fear in my siblings voices when they tell me they are afraid of what could happen

We were born and raised in this country but sometimes it isn’t so welcoming

My answer to calm their fears isn’t much better because all I can tell them is all these talks has been going on for a long time

And I can only hope that these events remain on the screens and not in our streets.

This poem is about: 
Me
My family
My community
Poetry Terms Demonstrated: 

Comments

Grant-Grey Porter Hawk Guda

Powerfully expressed! Hope you keep writing your heart and heart! Please keep sharing! 

Also there is an urgent matter to end modern day slavery today is national anti traficking day. Let us end world slavery, go sign the petition to make congress act. Look up International Justice Mission. 

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