Poem: We Belong Here

Crisscrossing back and forth, across the hardened landscape,

swollen feet, numbed ankles, and cut up fingers,

from now on we will not travel so far at night.

By the light of the sun, when the crunching under our shoes begins,

we feel the power, striking down invisible unwanted energies.

Returning to our land, my people once and for all,

no more pain in far away spaces,

closeness among us with no holes in our hearts.

Momentum slowing, still in this place,

our home, our legs have carried us far enough.

Little ones need sleep and big ones need food,

too powerful to kneel, too stubborn to fall,

from now on we will not close our mouths,

and everyone will know we are not a myth but a reality.