The United States of America

To some a haven of privilege

And others a hell of prejudice

There’s a system in place

A list stating

Who has rights

And

An unannounced list stating

Who has the right to claim those rights

 

Imagine you’re a middle-aged white man

You kiss your wife in the morning

You send your children to school

You make $50,000 a year

You pay your taxes on time

You kiss your wife in the evening

You join your family for dinner

You are an American

 

Imagine you are shipped overseas

Equipped with a uniform and weapons

You are fighting for a cause

The right to maintain liberty

That’s what they told you

That’s what you believe

You fight for yourself and your nation

You are an American

 

Imagine you are an elderly woman

You attend church when the doors are open

You read the bible with vigor

You uphold good Christian morals

You firmly believe the word of God

And those who oppose his word

Shall perish come Judgment Day

You are an American

 

Imagine you are a college student

You maintain high marks

And you have what it takes to succeed

You already have a career lined up after college

And a lifetime dream about to be fully realized

Your student loans are almost paid off

And you can’t wait to be in the real world

You are an American

 

Imagine you are an authority regulator

A judge, a lawyer, a policeman, a politician

You place, practice, and uphold the law

Sometimes with the best interest of the people

And sometimes in the best interest of The People

Statues are erected in your honor

Parades are held in your recognition

You are an American

 

Now

 

Imagine you’re a teenage girl

You are in your sophomore year of highschool

You do homework and have two jobs

That barely keep you and your child alive

The father is a man that doesn’t understand “no”

Unless it keeps him out of prison

You are called loose and slutty

You are an American’t

 

Imagine you came from other borders

You speak broken English

But you make an effort to learn

You obtain citizenship

But without seeing your paperwork

They think you’re illegal

They think you’re here to steal their opportunity

You are an American’t

 

Imagine you practice Islam

You perform salat and fast during Ramadan

You are surrounded by religious intolerance

People jeer with remarks about terrorism

Services are difficult to obtain

If you wear modest coverings

You are most likely shunned

You are an American’t

 

Imagine you are Native American

Your people have been shunned for centuries

Your culture has been repressed

Unless it is useful for entertainment

From sports teams to Halloween costumes

Your people are made into a joke

Even though you heritage originated here

You are an American’t

 

Imagine you’re a boy

but your birth certificate says you are a girl

You aren’t allowed to use public facilities

You’re access to healthcare is limited

You aren’t protected under worker’s rights

One of the few legal rights pertaining to you

Is the right to be put on the streets for existing

You are an American’t

 

Imagine you are a middle aged woman

You enter a courthouse with your fiance

The Justice of the Peace refuses to wed you

Because your fiance is also a woman

Your love isn’t always recognized

Unless used as a defense for committing hate crimes

But because you “refuse to be straight”

You are an American’t

 

Imagine you are disabled

Mentally or physically

You are unfit for traditional labor

You receive welfare checks

People claim you don’t deserve this money

Because you do nothing to earn them

You barely get by with them

You are an American’t

 

Imagine you aren’t white

And you live in a more impoverished setting

You try to get by and make things better

But when shot down because you’re seen as a threat

The images on the news don’t show your achievements

Your family mourns your death

The officer that killed you is promoted

You were an American’t

 

Some of these things might be too hard to imagine

Some of these are the most relatable

All of these are reality

This is the melting pot

But a lot of us get burned

This is America

The United States of America