I am not a peripheral
nor illegal human being
my flesh, the churchgoing
does not make me America, never has
since native tribes
thrived on their land
long before us
farming without raping the soil
cherishing the buffalo
before the malice of slaughter
my origin story is a perk
of present and past necessities
everything earned
had a kickstarter campaign
every move had a living hope
a paper trail of sponsors
I am not invisible
nor silenced
you have heard my voice
the hymn singing, the poems
you have seen
the job offers, mortgaged houses
you may have noticed the low hurdles
you may have wondered why