My sweat smells like Dachau,
even under Caribbean blooms, even
after I have thumbed it red. I wear
other cultures because mine is
Oh USA
What happened to you?
There was a time when you were an equivalent for freedom
Freedom to express whatever one believed
Showing respect for whatever one achieved.
By boat, by plane, or car taking route 66,
the land prospered due to a people’s mix.
It did not matter where one was born.
Now immigrants are greeted with shocking scorn,
tolerated to execute the dirty work in all visibility
but just not good enough to earn their legality.