Boricua

[This poem is partially my own experience but partially those of my friends and family, I don't think that I am in a position to claim this as my own experience but I do think that I have a voice and this is a cause I believe in.]

We are not immigrants and even if we were

What's the problem with that

What makes you better because you were born here

What makes you so special as to claim that you belong here

What makes you believe that because you happened to get here first that this is all yours

Isn't it ironic that you feel infringed upon

You who's ancestors infringed on those here before us

What makes you so special

That is besides the point

We are not immigrants

We were born and raised in this country just like you

And I'm sorry if your ignorance makes you blind to that

I'm sorry if your ignorance is a wall that you built around yourself

I'm sorry if you can't see what's right before your eyes

If your going to protect your boarders you should know where they begin and end

You should know who is inside of them

You should know who your country is made up of

You should know exactly who you are suppressing

You should know who needs help

You should know

But you don't

You don't understand what our people are going through

You don't understand how hard it is for those of us who have left our home to watch from afar as it crumbles

As it is torn apart

As it collapses underneath our feet

And there is nothing we can do but watch and hope

Hope that maybe for once this county will pull through for us

Hope that maybe one day things will be better

Hope that disaster on disaster won't finally break us

That it can all be fixed

I know for a fact that our spirits can not be broken

That those of us not strong enough to bear the load will be supported

And those of us that can will push

Push hard for what we need

We are not immigrants we are part of you

And it is about (damn) time that you start accepting that fact

It is about time that you understand what Puerto Rican means

It is about time you understand

¡La linda tierra que busco yo!