Fields

Location

15003
United States
40° 35' 56.0436" N, 80° 12' 55.44" W

I am a product of the Earth, much like you.
My people blossom in the motherland, soaking in the bright sun.
Our vines weave around the rough terrain, entangling in each other

We grow in these dense fields.

A foreign footstep grows louder as it approaches us.
Our thick tendrils are viciously cut, we lose grip of the womb we've held so tight

We are separated from the luscious fields.

Now, a foreign voice controls me.
I wilt as the sun scorches my skin and brands a foreign name into my burnt back
I am no longer myself. I am no longer my people.

I am dying in these foreign fields.

They attempt to resuscitate me at the last moment.
Water drips down my roots, the chains are broken.
I am free.
But we are not free.
Our freedom is a cell encompassed in glass walls.
We are forced to gape at the pleasures we cannot experience.
The pleasures they do not want us to experience
I ask why?
Why don’t you want to smell our sweet fragrances; embrace the beauty that is within our dark petals?
Why do you stick us in these dry flowerbeds?
Why are we segregated from you, our brothers and sisters?
We cannot eat where you eat, learn where you learn.
Blossom where you blossom.

We once were a part of your fields yet we cannot take part in your fields.

Our vines have no room to grow, our fountains are filled with filth, our neighborhoods are broken.
You have stripped us of our dignity and deprived us of our humanity.
We are hurting, struggling to find a sea of hope in a desert of despair.
We cry the same tears that drip from your eyes.
We share the same emotions, the same sweat, the same bones.
We may have different stems, different leaves, and different petals
Yet, we grow from the same earth, we watch the same stars, and we feel the same sun.
Every plant is unique but all humans are human.
We decide to fight for what we deserve,
We fight for equality.
We fight for our rights
Our stems harden into a strong bark. Our roots are firmly planted in the dirt.
We whisper softly in the ears of our distant kin
“We shall not be moved.”
We form a lush canopy, offering a friendly shade to everyone who has felt the sun.
Together we stand tall, together we stand strong.
The blood of our struggles boils in our veins.
Our sharp thorns prick the hand that holds us back
We are angry but we fight with uncoiled fists.
We march down the line that divides us all
With our signs held high, our chins held higher.
Every step leaves a unique imprint and in each imprint, we plant a seed.
We bellow in bitter rejoice as we stand over the towering podium.
Powerful words burst out of our mouths.
Each letter dances into our ears and pounds our eardrums with a sweet song.
Our spoken pollen forcefully rides the American breeze.
It creates a bud of integrity in every flower it touches.
We are not just fighting for the movement,
Together -
We are the movement.
Together -
We spread justice, we shake opposition, we destroy division.

Together, We can blossom in these rich fields.

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