This (unedited) poem won first place in a contest on The Political Poet. And while I am grateful, that's not necessarily the important part. The important part is the way this debate spun out of control. The way citizens were encouraged to gang up on other citizens as the county turned a blind eye to hate groups and racism. The underlying immigration ordinance was finally repealed, but not before a lot of people got hurt along the way. Be careful who you vote for, folks. It's not a Republican vs Democrat thing. Do you want to live in peace and equality where equity and love still have a chance? That is the real question we should be asking ourselves. ____________________________________________________ You made me feel illegal the way you eyed my hair too-long-too-dyed-for-work hair too-third-world-take-care-of-kids hair too-got-to-clean-the-house hair too-too-much-chat-about-the-family hair. You made me feel illegal my Wal-mart pants and blouses my too-this-isn’t-how-we-dress-here clothes too-cheap-to-even-work-here clothes too-girly-to-do-your-job-here clothes too-back-to-the-slum-with-you-dear clothes. You made me feel illegal pointing out my jewelry “too gold” you say, “too gaudy” my too-don’t-show-your-face-in-the-lobby jewelry too-you-know-nothing-about-our-country jewelry too-go-home-to-anchor-babies jewelry. You made me feel illegal like I’m too-you-can’t-speak-like-we-know how too-got-no-right-to-talk now too-got-to-go-and-wash-sticky-floors now too-better-go-cook-in-a-filthy-kitchen now too-best-sweep-up-the-dirt-you-see now. You made me feel illegal too-nothing-more-than-low class too-nothing-less-than loathed You made me feel illegal. You oughta be illegal. ©2012 Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt, all rights reserved
Posted in Katherine's Coffeehouse
