“The immigration ban stirred memories of the racial slurs I face/d, and how it has been used in American history to dehumanize the other making it easier, even a perverse patriotic duty, to reject, oppress and finally kill the alien/foreigner; but ultimately, the person we dehumanize is ourselves. Especially for America, built on the idea as the land of immigrants, the battle over immigration is a battle over the soul/identity of America.”
Please read the full text at tuck magazine.
(http://tuckmagazine.com/2017/02/21/poetry-736/)
—
I am yellow
and black
and brown
and mulatto.
I am the chink and the gook you confuse
I am the jap you fenced like a dog
I am the Jew you sent back to the chambers
I am the French you shipped back for treason
I am the Yank you suspected and shot
I am the Cracker you derided and shot
I am the you that you refused a sanctuary for
I am the sacrifice on the altar of Securitas