A land you know to a land you do not know
struggles to reach and then struggles to survive
to be born, adopted, reborn and on and on it goes
what did you set out to gain?
dreams that redefined in the wake of realities?
dreams to be achieved in one life time, but
some passed over through generations
who are you? they ask
where do you come from? they ask
And where should you belong? they question
Never remain silent,
for their silence will just make the questions worse
your answers should make them uncomfortable
force them to dig into their past
and stand in your shoes and say,
“welcome my brother we all belong and exist as equals
Children of the same planet
benefactors of its resources
fighting against its exploiters”
It is not easy; life of a new comer
they call it cultural conflict,
but what is culture?
what is it worth if you cannot
see man eye to eye…
A nation, a city, a neighborhood is built
by not just thoughts from inside
but also thoughts from outside
Walls do not build a country, it exemplifies differences
A country becomes great because it welcomes the world
A country becomes great because it is the destination of the free
A country remains great by upholding what made it great
The biggest virtue of a country is being open
And the finest effort of its people is to remain open

Categories: National Poetry Month, Poetry

Tags: Immigration, National Poetry Month 2016