Dear Mexican Immigrants, | Teen Ink

Dear Mexican Immigrants,

December 30, 2013
By nelehjr DIAMOND, Lingle, Wyoming
nelehjr DIAMOND, Lingle, Wyoming
60 articles 11 photos 379 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.


I admire you.
I truly do.
To leave one’s own country,
Legally or otherwise…
You are brave.

You take jobs most would be ashamed of
And then you do them twice as well.
And work three times as hard
For a fraction of the price.
It must be tough.

I lay here on my back
Drinking ice tea and writing poetry
While you work on my roof
In the hot, hot, sun.
Yesterday I saw you all on top of a church in a hailstorm!
That takes spunk!

You ask for nothing but your meager wages.
You put up with white folks chirping racial comments
They call you things like “wet back”, “mexcriment”, and then tease your accents and tans,
All the while you work circles ‘round them.

I’m sorry the barrier is so strong
Writing this poem I feel I add to it.
But I feel it is the artist’s job to capture the moment.
I will take a photograph using poetry,
And tape it to the wall.
Years from now our children will pass by it and wonder how their ancestors could be so ignorant.


The author's comments:
This one's for Bob's Roofing

Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 0 comments.