I Want Change

I see all the people who could have been

Who would have been

Who should have been

And those who will never be

I see what remains of a once great nation

The people whose culture has become extinct

A part of the past

A thing for historians to study

A great people who are degraded

Humiliated

Scorned, yet they are true to their heritage

They are fighters and believers

They believe in that shooting star

In that one miracle

In that one opportunity

I don’t want to be a could have

A would have

A should have been

I want others to know about my culture

About my people

About our struggles

I want people to know about the injustice

The hate

The Discrimination

And the poverty that kills people

I want t be part of that change

Part of that new world where my job isn’t just in the kitchen

Where I don’t have to be defined by my gender

By the color of my skin

By the color of my eyes

Where my race is no longer an issue

I want to help heal the scars of broken spirits

I want to be an example of what can be

Of the challenges people can face and overcome

Of a lost soul who has found their way back

I want change

I want more college degrees and less jail sentencings

I want less tears of sorrow and more tears of joy

I want people to have more options for a way out than just gangs