I Am American

My grandmother's grandmother was a slave they called n*gger My great grandmother was called negro My grandmother was called colored My mother is called black I am considered African American, black, and at times the same categorization as my ancestors So for the sake of future generations Why cant I just be American Equality amongst people is the product of eyes that see each other without division One nation One people As one strengthened by being undivided This is the true strong hold of life's most precious commodity which is love And its love above all things Love above all threats Love above all agendas As love echos throughout the most soundproof hearts When reasoning aligns with the desires of one soul As the nurturing mechanism of creation The umbilical has fed peasants and kings without prejudice So equality is the being of natural formulation I mean the function of the womb is capable of birthing stillness as well as evolution But we must seek the latter in order to climb to new heights Setting the stage and a realization To where we no longer worry about the color of the lights As they all have the potential to shine bright And generally are attached to the same power source Which also implants mercy, forgiveness, understanding Fostering remorse to the oppressed and the oppressor So how can we reach the point of commonality in our freedom If one people views the other as lessor The same freedom I fought for in the armed forces The same freedom many of my comrades died defending The same freedom that has been forged with blood sweat and tears shed by generations Like wounds unattended As racism has blocked the sutures Needed to be the staple of healing The transgressions of past dealings As that gash presently remains open So I petition for closure A petition fortified by my travels As I have placed the soles of my feet on many different foreign lands Conversed in many dialects of the tongue Yet regardless of my complexion I experienced the same vernacular They called me American Which I don't even get that liberty at home You can't eliminate the lineage of my past Or dehumanize the possibility of my future due to your insecurities So here before you I stand simply as a man As an American As I am American I am American