It is not easy to be an immigrant in a foreign country, leaving everything you knew to learn and adjust to everything new. This poem tries to give words to a silent request that most of us immigrants have for the citizens in the host countries.
Beyond the color of my skin,
See me, my brother!
Beyond my different accent,
Hear me, my sister!
I bring more than my foreign birth,
I bring valuable experiences,
I bring my skills, a desire to collaborate,
I bring more than our differences!
I am not here to put you down,
I am not here to snatch your portion,
I am here to exchange goodness,
I desire for a bright future to apportion!
I beg you to treat me as equal,
I am as human as you are,
I beg you to evaluate me fairly,
I am God's child just as you are!
I want us to celebrate each other,
I want us to elevate each other,
About our differences and commonalities,
I want us to educate each other!
I love my motherland so dearly,
I would go back home if I could,
My language, my culture, and my identity,
I would reclaim everything, only if I could!
But brother I am here,
Sister, let me in with an embrace,
Let me be part of your family,
I promise I will add to its grace!
Yes, for you it might be a compromise,
To have a stranger in your land,
Let me not be a stranger for too long,
Make me your sister, give me your hand!
