BY AVNI KHANDELWAL
We came to this nation when I was about three
Hoping to find ourselves a better life for me
We packed our world and set sail
Therefore I would never, ever be set to fail
Our home was not much but we loved it a bunch
It made us feel safe and warm throughout the crunch
The crunch of a new life and the day to day pace
Was enough to shake one up, a tough ordeal to face
But our love was enough to hold us together
For our hope could last us an eternity - a forever
I grew up knowing that I was alike
From commonplace chores to riding a bike
I knew no different from what I had been told
But life was brilliant; it was prosper and gold
We shifted around for quite a while
But we kept happy, decorated with a smile
People looked at us different, but we didn’t care
So what if we have colored skin and hair
I may have not known English very well
But I could learn it! I would tell
I grew up celebrating traditions from here
Even watching Pearl Harbor and shedding every last tear
I put some cookies for jolly, old St. Nick
And having fun on April 1st, silly little trick
From gathering candy on Hallow’s Eve
To dressing as pirates and being little thieves
I drew with chalk on the sidewalks outside
And played some soccer and basketball as a side
I grew up like every other kid
Even playing hide and seek, and gosh I hid
Until an art competition at 10 revealed to me
The horror of the truth, as suffocating as could be
I wasn’t from here like everyone else
I was just some object sitting on a shelf
A shelf of parts waiting to be accepted
Into this nation; we come to be resurrected
To find ourselves a better world; one where we can see
Our future ahead of us - cloudy and murky
For we may be stripped of our homes any day
For our worries and our cares don’t matter any way
“Hold on” they said, it’s only a small wait
But I am sad to say it’s been lifetime till date
Several years of worry, several years of distress
Several years of hurry, several years of unrest
The fear of being separated from all I had ever known
Was enough to consume me till I was mere flesh and bone
Until I was broken down and worried
Until I was lonely, sad, and hurried
“Hold on“ they said, wait for a little bit more
But I am afraid to say that plan was never in store
I wanted to make a difference but had no idea how
I decided I had enough; for the time was now
I wrote this poem because I have a passion, a desire
To inform people of this burning issue, to start a fire
May the future change, may equality uphold
Through every single change, even outrageous and bold
I try and try to remain positive through it all
I don’t want to slip up, to tumble and fall
I don’t know how long I can survive this whirlpool of death
But I will continue persevering until my very last breath
