I was made very aware
Of what others think
I am
Shortly after 9/11

You see,
Some strongly opinionated people
Thought it best to express
How they felt about America-
I was 5 when it happened

Two pretty towers-
That stood tall in the sky
Peering over the city-
Fell
After two planes crashed into them
Like bullets

America
Was scared
And so was I

But America has a habit
Of blaming the whole
For the actions
Of the parts

And sometimes
America forgets to distinguish
Differences in race or culture
From the schema
She has concocted in her mind

I have mourned
A loss because
Of the radical terrorist attack
On September 11th
We will never forget

Like the human body
Under stress
The production of adrenaline
Is all or nothing
A fight or flight response

Terror -
The very word strikes fear
Into the hearts of those
Who in response,
Spread hate

You see,
I am not Muslim
Nor am I from the Middle East

However,
My surname is
Ramlakhan

Therefore,
I will be stopped
At airport security

Ironically, my last name
Isn’t supposed to be
Ramlakhan

It is supposed to be
Ramlakan
Because adding an “h”
Implies that I am Muslim
When actually I am Hindu
Raised by two devout Christians
Oh, what’s in a name?

You see, this is not about names
It’s about skin color
Religion
Cultural practices
Economic stature

It’s about every possible thing
That we use to distinguish people-
One from the other

It’s a problem
It became a problem
When we started identifying people
As “How is he different than me?”

And this mentality
Got passed on to a new generation
Which history shows us
Will make this stigma even harder
To exterminate

I am human.
If you cut me
I will bleed

You and I are more alike
Than you could possibly think

9/11 - We will never forget
Has become the mantra
Of America

It is heard over and over again

On the first year anniversary
9/11 - We will never forget
When the War on Iraq initiated
9/11 - We will never forget
10 years later,
9/11 - We will never forget
When Bin Laden was murdered
9/11 - We will never forget

America,
I think it is time to forget
The girl with small eyes but a
Huge smile begs

She just wants to fly on an airplane
Without having her suitcases searched
Without suspicions
Without the assumption
That she’s less than a human
For a crime she did not commit