Roots & Stems

You say you support the cause Because of the so called equality act But when it's free Palestine or Black Lives Matter I see how you don't act See I'm bored of your questions And I'm tired of answering them Do you drink? Do you eat bacon? Do you wear that thing to bed? When you shower, does it stay on your head? In a world where androids are kind of taking over Maybe the next time you say 'hey Alexa', you can finally find some closure I'm tired of spelling out my name to the Stephanie's Siobhan's and Sinead's If you can say Dostoevsky, then you can also say my name Im tired of being looked at in a different sort of light And I felt it really deep when Maya said, "Still, I Rise" Brown eyes, green eyes, blue eyes All eyes staring as I walk down the street I wonder... what I've done wrong Or if I have something on my face Wait... I do I have culture on my face I have religion on my face I have the roots of my ancestors buried deep within my soul YES! Look at me! I am a walking, talking piece of art, heritage, tradition I am the henna stain on Eid nights I am the colour of bazaars that shine bright I am bangles, red, green, blue and yellow I am the street food at the end of corn fields I am the villages and the broken roads I am the sweet, ripe mangoes on a hot summers day I am the smell of curry for breakfast on a Sunday morning I am spices. I am herbs I am garlic, turmeric, ginger, roots, I am strength I am Pakistani. And I am human And I come from all of this without being suppressed And I come from all of this without being oppressed In fact, I come from all of this this without violence and impurity Because my culture and my faith would never let me trade my humanity And my humanity stems from humble roots It stems from working class families and stay at home mums It stems from the death of my father and the sleepless nights of my mother It stems from you eating biryani and roast chicken while we had beans on toast It stems from choosing to pay for the bus or for lunch that day It stems from getting a job at 16 to help mum with all the bills she had to pay It stems from smiling on the outside while I was dying on the inside That's what kills I've laid out my timeline But it's not for you to judge I'm simply showing you what I come from And how hard I am to touch So, take me as I am, roots and all For it is not my fault if you stumble over them, and fall