Ev’rything Free in America

Written: February 7th, 2021

I was born on the coast of Acapulco,

Where the tide meets the sand.

I was brought to America at the age of six,

To the place where racism was bred from the land.

As a child I began to understand the value of my skin,

In the same country where I was forced to assimilate.

The pain of losing your language and your tongue,

In a place where the women are made to castrate.

I was praised for my ability to tame the vernacular,

Speak with perfect diction,

and without an accent.

I was seen as a miracle for leaving my roots behind, 

And to the white folks it was something spectacular.

We left our entire lives in exchange for American dollar bills,

And a college degree.

I achieved them both and all I was left with was my accent-less voice,

And family members as detainees.

Ev’rything free in America,

Except the people that seek freedom,

And children in cages,

Or those that get beaten by police for no reason.

I found myself venturing into the a land of opportunity,

And assimilation.

Trying to speak out for my people,

And finding my place in this nation.

I found myself venturing into a land of bigotry,

Rich with hypocrisy,

And financial greed.

 I was brainwashed by nationalist ideals,

And dying for the love of country.

And upon the hill where we all go to breathe, 

I saw a world of mistreatment,

That dances on the edges of ignorance.