My soul was flying high above my body. The smell of freedom and ocean in my nostrils. As a new life drew closer and closer. As my old life began to vanish far behind me. As I was now a new person. I was no longer bound and held down by my past. I no longer had to slave in the sun day in and day out. My new home was in New York. I would live loud and proud in New York. No more living in the shadows in New York. I would move fast and flag cabs. I would no longer wear rags. Rags to Riches. That’s my name. Living in all my fame. Here I am passing the big green lady I began to climb out of the sun, No longer shady Even though Agent Orange may be shouting build a wall. I am in charge of my own destiny And I will not fall. By: Jordan Hall (Bard Early College at Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy)
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With this tale, as old as time
It begins with a family on a journey With origins as deep as roots of an oak tree It begins with a family on a journey America their destination for success They settled in a cargo ship, cramped, taking action for their dream Fourteen hours of a pattern of rocking, then stopping was a barrier for success A face turned to the sea, and watched the intense moonlight hit the gentle sea Finally they arrived and like a deer, were awe stricken Waiting on a line that took a day to reach the front, was all worth while, when all was said and had been done They assimilated to their neighborhood, where the same deer was stuck They settled in their house, when the sun was down and done Now the face that was looking at the sea is my best friend It seems more friends will follow this trend By: Darius Dorsett (Bard Early College at Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy) Immigrants Saving their coins Enough coins to travel to America “America” The home of the brave and the land of the free The land where immigrants come in search of something Something they call the “American Dream” A dream I as an American have yet to find They come searching for a better life filled with opportunities Some are forced out of their country Walking an involuntary trail of tears thousands of miles away from their land They are stripped from their nation and forced to adapt to another Immigrants Divided by nation “America” Divided by immigrants “America” A land once vacant Nationalism Divided by nation The fact that “Americans” believe that are better than “immigrants” is far from Beyond my understanding America is a multicultural nation We’re all proud to be “American” Let’s not forget those immigrants too are proud to be from their country Us who define ourselves as “Americans” are not really “Americans” We too come from a different nation We too are “immigrants” We do not originate from “America” The same people you work with or go to school with are immigrants Your friend Willam he’s from Sweden Your friend Amina she’s from Morocco Your boss Wang is from Asia And your great great grandmother? She’s from Brazil Our ancestors sure aren’t from America Even our founding fathers aren’t from America America is not one nation America contains a mixture of people from all 195 countries There are about 7.6 billion people in the world About 323.1 million of those people live in America 43.3 million are legal immigrants plus the 10.9 million illegal immigrants Making that a total of 54.2 million counted immigrants in America So tell me are you sure you’re purely American? By: Mariama Barry(Bard Early College at Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy) Many come upon our shores wishing for a new life Free of their home's war and suffering that are rife Instead they come upon a country of money That is not a land flowing with milk and honey Instead of achieving their dreams and hopes They continually slide down vertical slopes Some are lucky and are able to integrate And alas become many a ingrate Choosing to forget how they slide past the American grate Others put in sweat and tears And to achieve their dreams face their fears But they can't always repair damage done by the years The dream of a better life should be open to everyone Not become a lottery to find a lucky one In a place where all are entitled to equality and wealth And shouldn't even worry about health Where we emphasize the need to laugh and dance Should our newcomers even rely on chance Should we even need to use the term lucky? By: Mik Naes '19 (Bard Queens)
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