Poem of America

Poem of America

By: Husam (Sam) Salman

I was born in Iraq in

1978. I told people this

Detail reluctantly after

The Gulf War started. 

I spent the majority of

My life under the fear

That, as an immigrant,

Armed only with a visa -

My life didn’t matter as

Much as other citizens.

In my adult life

After I became a citizen

I tried to sift through

My fears that I had

Built over the years

With the help of my

Therapist.  I was unable

To escape the historical

Fate of my people. As

Christian, I was always

Viewed by westerners as

A Muslim regardless of

Fact. I would pretend to be

White like my classmates

And Neighbors; to imagine

I was born here with

With the same benefits of

Other white Americans

Whose wealth and power

Provided the needed

Footing and education

To have a leg up in this

World.  But I am not

One of them. Not a person

With a community. I am not

White, Mexican, Black or Asian

All of whom have a community

Of their own here in the states.

I went to public school

Where I was called a

Sand Nigger for being Arabic.

We rarely traveled as my

Parents squandered the little

Money they had when arriving

To this country on a restaurant

Of which they seemingly

Knew nothing about. Only

To sell the establishment

After only 1 year in business.

I knew from a very early age

That we were poor, as my

Mother had me balancing

The family checkbook in

An effort to learn accounting.

The only thing I picked up

Was a sense of defeat and

Absolving my future self

Of the need to succeed as

We couldn’t afford college

Even if I had great grades.

I was never in the know

On how to make money.

Doing everything myself

And envied my Jewish

Friends who seemingly could

Make money by breathing.

I discovered my love

For the same sex at

An early age. My family

Didn’t mind this fact

As it didn’t change them

In the eye of our community,

As we didn’t participate in

Any society here in the states.

In my newly found

Magnanimity, I was reborn.

Like a new born lamb.

Only to explore my world

Further. There in the downtown

Alleys and barren streets,

Would wander by the insane

And drugged out.

It is unfair to call this a

Free and civilized country

When the religious political

Right are spending all their

Efforts to remove ALL

Human rights, health,

Mental health and education

from 'its people'.

China, with all their

Humanitarian issues is

Starting to look better then

The US.  Is that right?

We spend trillions in military

But we have homelessness

Here in the states on our streets.

We can be at war for

Decades but can do nothing to

Rebuild the countries WE destroy

and have made no measurable

difference - it seems #imo.

How is your pretty oversized home?

Where you haven’t visited

For decades as this home is 1 of 20.

In a land where 6-7 figure salaries

Are a standardized norm,

We still have children of

Parents who work at these

Same companies – going

To bed hungry on a regular

Basis. How is your health?

If you needed a doctor today

Could you see one? In our

Nation’s largest city, in

Homes behind high hedges

Where the richest people live

People with great health do

Not live on the streets. But

These are the same streets

Of the homeless.

How do we solve this stupidity?

In America I learned that we

Highly care about only one

Thing here – ME!

I would love to hang out with

You but I am busy working

On ME. Am I the only one

Shouting for others rights?

Am I the only person who

Is being effected by life?

Am I the only person whose

Friends are struggling, dying

Or doing drugs? Is this

Normal enough to ignore?

I am not ashamed of my work;

I am ashamed that YOU have done

None yet call yourself 'good'.