by Lisa Lerma Weber

"Send her back," they chant, 
words like the torches thrown at the feet 
of women tied to the posts of oppression, 
their independence their only transgression, 
and what do you know of witch hunts. 

"Send her back," they chant 
and you smile that smug smile, 
seemingly satisfied with the infiltration 
of the hate you deny you encourage 
yet never condemn. 

"Send her back, send them back, lock them up." 
Words like knives that slice through the fabric 
of this country, tearing apart the flag 
that for so long waved a welcome 
to those in search of freedom 
from violence and persecution. 

"Give me your tired, your poor, 
your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," 
unless their skin is a different color 
or they pray to a different god or 
don't love according to your rules. 
You say you love this country 
and want to make it great. 

But her greatness has always been 
in her acceptance of the homeless 
and downtrodden and oppressed. 
And she is made greater 
through the compassion and humanity 
of her wonderfully diverse people. 

So send your hate back to the hell it came from. 
Swallow your racist words and choke 
on your own bitter intolerance. 

She is going nowhere and neither are the rest of us. 

 

Lisa Lerma Weber is a wife, mother, and writer holding on tight to dreams and hope. Her inspiration: “I am female. of Hispanic-Filipino descent. Great-granddaughter of immigrants. A mother. My heart breaks and my soul aches and I write to deal with and to fight against the violence and racism plaguing this country.”