A Conversation of Immigrants

Immigrant of past:
Come closer
And hear a tale
Of Misery and loss
Come here
Fresh meat
I will predict your despair

It can be 1911 or 2011
Illegal or Muslim or Irish or Lithuanian or Italian
I can see into the past
I can predict your future

To be worked like an animal,
To be disposed of in the same fashion
Workers, Immigrants, Animals, Aliens, Terrorists
Labor, Cattle, Sheep, Illegals, Criminal
but not man. Not human.
 
You come here with pride in your heart,
Trust in your eyes,
and strength in your body.

You think we broken ones are lazy,
You think your self reliance works,
You think you can keep your values, your morals, your sanity

You think you are going to make it out alive

They think you a criminal
Nothing to offer
A slave to the drug
A useless no good

These demons will find you.
They will kill your children,
They will rape your wife
 And take you to hell

The bottle is your only solace
The night women your only companions
The hopelessness your only emotion

Run from this demon we call America
There are no dreams left for us here
We are the labor needed to keep this hateful machine running

We came here with dreams and hopes
We left our countries 
Our warm safe beds
To run in the damp and muddy streets of America

But now we are lost
Far from home we roam lost in this waste land
Far from family we have no comfort
They divide us and they conquer us

They will take your pride
They will take your family
They will take everything from you
And they will laugh while doing it

You think me incorrect
Prepare for the witch hunt
Prepare to be Abraham’s sacrificed sheep

This Lady they call Liberty is a lie
This Home they call of the brave is nonexistent
This Freedom they say is so hard to find never was here

Be warned for they are coming
Be warned little sheep with innocent trusting eyes
For America is the wolf in the woods
And he is hungry


Immigrant of now:
Foolish you are
Sardonic and sarcastic
Bitter and brooding

Strength we have
Will we bring
Opportunity we seek

You forget all the good you have
You can speak like this in America
Of America
And she will forgive you

Call her a liar
A demon, a whore,
Yet all of your transgressions forgotten

Heritage may be important
Tradition may be of value

But freedom and democracy are life
Justice and liberty are necessity

Do not forget we are change
Do not forget our power

The power of youth
Tearing down the walls of tyranny

America is the tool
America is the example

You forget the hope
You forget the beacon of light

Do not forget old man that you too changed the world
Do not give that up

You are the example
You are America
You are freedom

We are freedom
We are America