I was hoping for an alien invasion
Maybe then
The question of
“Where are you from? “
Could be easier answered
And I could say
“Earth”
And no one would follow with
“But where were you born”
I was hoping for an alien invasion
So I could no longer be called an alien
Such as my luck
No alien cared to make my hopes true
And I still look at you
Unable to speak
The language I grew up
Speaking
For hours, in lines we waited
Feet bare
Flies and mosquitoes hung in the air
The afternoon sun could not be kind
As it left no shelter for us to hide
Until we got our sacks of flour and some rice
Enough to fill our bellies and dampen our cries
She remembered a sky glowing red
Noises in her head
Figures that screamed
Others that whispered
And some that bled
She remembered joyful wonder
Cries of surrender
Stars that wept
Nights when she slept
On a warm earth
Nothing else beneath
No sheets no shields
She remembered before she was this magnificent tree
She was a woman
Wondering what she’ll be
When this earth turns to dust
Silent was the crowd
After moments of obstreperous cheering
As they learned that her death
Was not in the script
Was not in the play
But they couldn’t help staring
Did you ever think to bring a second candle?
The optimist in you did not think the darkness will last
The wax dripping off of its handle
As it burns much too fast
But I who’s seen darkness, I who was birthed away from light
I hoard all the candles
Fearing that they might
Not be enough
I stretched out my dusty wings
Shedding thousands of years
Away
Breaking the silence of my peers
Turning our dark tears
To fire
Reigniting an ancient flame
Reminding the world of our name
As I flew higher
I could no longer deny my true desire
I was born
For this rebirth
Born to inspire
I thought it magical
Surreal
That the night sky
Be filled with steal
And change to day
Flash after flash
Of the bombs falling my way
I thought it a beautiful end
To an uneventful beginning
The 13 year old is no longer begging
To stay alive
Foggy morning
Tall grass
I lay awake
Raindrops covering my face
My roots grow to the sky
As I lie
Reaching to the God I can not see
Foggy morning days
Chill my bones
Foggy morning days
Call me home
And I dare not resist
Some days I crave a sun so bright
Instead of Memphis rain
And people that can say my real name
Some days I feel my skin turning back
A darker shade close to black
And I hear my roots calling me home
But most days I know I am not alone
In feeling so far away from home
We’re all immigrants after all
Waiting for the call
To return to heaven
I never thought it a desert
Nor did I ever judge the sands
I thought it a home
That I could hold in the palm of my hands
Sticking to my curly hair
And the shoes I wear
I became a walking desert
Completely unaware
Of the sands of my people
Clinging to my form
I wore as proudly as a soldier
Wearing his uniform
