Empty Fists

Empty Fists
by: Anahí Sánchez

And all she hears is the sound of empty fists
Full of empty promises of revolution and change
But all she sees is her reality
Living in a country of privileges as an
illegal immigrant isn't exactly a blessing,
but a constant reminder of her alien status
Alien in the country that she's been raised in,
The only one she knows

"Today 389 illegal aliens were arrested at Kosher meat packing company in Iowa . . . "
The man on the TV screen read
"It's chaos out there, the shortage is all over the country"

... Aliens?
....Shortage of what? .. Cheap labor?

389 men and women kicked out of the country they call home
389 families separated
Thousands of human beings every single year

We are not aliens!
... but the government has upheld that name.
No opportunity for higher education,
No health care,
No government assistance,
No dignity in this country

They have us feeling like a caged birds
That have been given the option to leave,
not making leaving any easier

And so they stay

They stay because they can't afford to leave
And no I'm not just talkin' money

They stay because they found reason enough to risk their lives
And move away from everything they knew

They stay because they dreamt of a chance at a life with real opportunity

A chance to be treated like decent human beings

But all they hear is the sound of empty fists