I write because I can

 

I write because I can put on paper what my lips sometimes won’t say

 

I write because the thoughts in my head need to be transferred to the world

 

I write because when I see a poor family struggling to live day to day

I feel responsible

 

I write because when people judge me for the color of my skin I feel

Angry

 

I write because there is an English Only law in place that prohibits me from

Speaking in my native tongue

 

I write because instead of helping people with a mental illness we incarcerate them

 

I write because we label kids as having ADHD and then medicate them

To the point of overdose

 

I write because the state can go into a family’s home and

Decide that the parents are not good parents

 

I write because child protective services can take away a child

And disrupt a family

 

I write because people are not free to marry who they love

 

I write because people who come to this country for a better

Life are being discriminated against

 

I write because women get paid less than men

 

I write because of all the injustices that exist in this world

 

I write because some day someone will read my poem and be inspired

 

I write because I can