See Me

If you were a painting what colors would you use?
How would you describe that picture to eyes only seeing black and white hues?
How can anyone visualize without all the pieces, all the scents of childhood,
Brushes presenting our transparent scars?


There are humans in this world who wash away what they don’t believe
Drown mental illnesses with the words of God
Paint over the rainbow in her heart with electric parts
Break apart every syllable in his language, just so he can restitch his fresh new tongue,
Into English


And I sink into the abyss that planted thick chains in my brain before I knew my own name
Labeled parts of my body as burdens I constantly had to protect with long sleeves
The same world that twisted rape into a joke
This abyss, a synonym,
Society


This community has been brainwashed into believing our worth is solely dependent on a dollar sign
Only worth what we cannot do
Only worth what our ancestors were forced to consume
African-Americans belong in inhumane cages for the “safety” of our children,
Mexicans must return to their country, regardless of their citizenship,
While Arabs need to learn America’s language,
Yet no one seems to mention the fact that America has no official language
That America was built on the backbones of starved African-Americans,
Cities ripped from the ground by Hispanics with pesticides in their veins,
Or the fact that Natives were once only respected by the derogatory term “Redskins”


And I know America’s faults are massive
But trust me when I say, one day this pain will be substituted with ease
And only then will my voice speak stronger than the shackles rooted in my skin
Never forget,
My Dominican blood flows to the beat of bachata, my words carry thick with power,
My tomboy attire throws fire onto tiaras and heels,
I drink water just to flex on my alcoholic father
But what I will never learn to swallow,
Is my protest in exchange for society’s comfort