Raize Not Raze | Teen Ink

Raize Not Raze

December 7, 2016
By allykim131 BRONZE, Roslyn Heights, New York
allykim131 BRONZE, Roslyn Heights, New York
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

We're stuck in a country ruled by close-minded people

Who have no idea what it means to be equal
So gather your courage and open your throat to
Stand up for what you believe matters the most.
You can make a difference now just by trying
So maybe you'll hear less people crying
Like sirens wailing as people are dying
Because triggers are pulled by citizens who hate
Our minority groups that have no say
In our government, which only shuts us down.
With Donald Trump in power, we'll soon be kicked out
Of our homes, our country, the place we've lived.
But why force us out when we have so much to give
Back to our country, back to our nation;
But then why do we face such discrimination?
Why are our basic human rights taken back
Because we're gay, or Muslim, or female, or black?
A “pursuit of happiness” is no longer a reality
When our society is ruled by those born into supremacy.


Who are you privileged people to say that your lives are more important than someone else's?
Correction: you don't say it- but you act just as selfish.
Racism: you refuse to see, refugees: you treat like nobody,
Muslims: you "randomly select" for tsa checks,
Women: you portray as no more than objects for sex,
LGBTQA rights: you dismiss- you get away with all of this,
and yet you say supremacy doesn't exist.
But why should you care? What does it matter?
When you're not affected, it's not worth chasing after.


Right?


Isn’t that why you're silent and avoid the real issues?
But why don't you try walking a mile in our shoes-
You can try to ignore the injustice we face
Because you're of a different religion or race,
But you'll only continue to poison the heart of our society
While you destroy any notion of morality to keep your authority.


But to every American citizen who believes
That steps towards equality can be achieved:
Join us and chant black lives matter; say love is love
To help us people achieve what we deserve:
To shatter the glass ceiling, to avenge all the deaths
Of innocents who have fought until their very last breaths
For basic equity so that we just might flourish.
I hope that you all have gained a better understanding of our purpose
Because we're all different and that's perfectly okay-
yet that is one thing the land of the free has always failed to convey.
Don't make this life harder, don't tear others down.
Instead, help rebuild our nation up from the ground.


The author's comments:

I was inspired to write this piece due to the outcome of the recent 2016 Presidential Election and the horrid discrimination and unjust hate crimes that have and still continue to vandalize and poinson our country. In recent years, segregationist ideologies have prevented minority groups from being treated respectfully as people. I personally hope that this poem is able to voice the opinions and viewpoint of those who have been discriminated against, and inspire readers to understand and join our cause for equality.


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