Unified Rememberance

 


We 

came from across the ocean 

to a world we found 

you were here before us

this was your home

through our weapons

disease and our god

we changed you

or killed you

we failed to see you

we still fail to see you

blinded by Manifest Destiny

 dreaming of empire


We 

fought and won our freedom 

a freedom we denied those here before us 

denied those we’d enslaved


We

put you on reservations 

slaughtered

 more of you than we can number

history slanted and White-washed your stories



~~~~~~~~


We 

Stole you from across the ocean

 many died 

you didn’t have our skin color 

economically an enslaved workforce is better 

 we beat you, took away your names

stripped you of your cultures

your very identities


With our laws we took away your humanity

the blue and gray went to war

 what did you get?

freedom? 

history slanted and White-washed your stories



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



We 

put you in camps

making you an imaginary enemy

honestly we never liked you much to start with 

your work ethic shamed us


We

 put you on the battlefield

you fought and died beside us 

no matter what you sacrificed

it was never enough 

you were never considered a loyal

American 

history slanted and White-washed your stories



~~~~~~~~~~~~



We 

decided you were all the same

 the enemy

it was enough for us that you shared a faith 

Twin Towers fell

we didn’t think we just reacted 


We 

put you in a box, having become so adept

at seeing only the enemy

White-washing your stories



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



We

are told that you are stealing

 our jobs

that you are very bad people:

murderers, rapists, drug dealers

a wall will fix this! 

walls

only make this tragic

story keep its plot

White-washing your stories



~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Will we never learn? 

how many candles

must we light?

 how many tears

must you shed?

how many prayers 

must we say? 



We

will never be able

 to right the wrongs

 we have done to you 

locking you up

murdering you

White-washing stories

 


We can remember the wrongs

walls

only make this tragic

story keep its plot


Cross this bridge

with me:

take the first step

listen to stories

abolish man-made divisions 

start caring and healing a part of this 


We can choose to

see  

you 

now

as

WE

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