freedom

we all come from twisted roots
an identity crisis?
ah, that’s nothing new-
bridging cultures
countries 
continents
a daily script we endlessly run through-
displaced
misplaced
a vortex of internal insecurity
coupled with mirthless monologues that attempt to
define me
I never connected with the soil of my father’s birth
and yet here
living in my mother’s country
everything rejects me
don’t feign you understand me
don’t claim you really listen to me
don’t pretend you incorporate me
am I forever doomed to a
hyphenated reality?
how come you don’t even try to accept
my version
of me
my being feels rejected like a
donated organ in a foreign body-
I am not an immigrant
half of my DNA was birthed in the
spirit of eternal freedom
yet that freedom
doesn’t extend to my religion
the other half of my DNA was also birthed
in a vilified spirit of freedom
but that form of freedom lacks the room to grow
to breathe in-
I breathe in politician’s ignorant sound bites
claims that my people are
terrorists
extremists
schizophreni-“tes”
but somehow the Doctor’s diagnosis is
not inaccurate
we are a fragmented people
broken and rebuilt in this treacherous climate
condemned to switching
between preordained characters
like puppets eating from the hands of our benefactors-
but it’s not our fault
we came here seeking a better life
freedom
we were born here
brought up believing in that
freedom
chasing the “golden life”
but they disguised it
covered lead in gold and sold it labeled as
freedom-
freedom decided to poison us
decided to break us
contain us
drone and maim us
ultimately kill us
to
remain
free-
so,
undoubtedly their freedom will always reject us