I come from a people of want
A people of never have
Never enough, Don’t got
I come from a people
Where migrant workers’ tortillas, smothered in melting butter
Were springtime food
And stolen chocolate competed with Crisco-rolled-in-sugar for weekly fat count
I come from a people
Who never show fear
Women who laugh in the face of 6-inch knives
I come from men and women
Who taught us to play ‘hide and seek’
From county social workers
The same way other kids play tag
I come from a people who know how to rock and roll
Play country on four-string guitars
And broken accordions
I come from a people who know the
Loud silence of trees and rivers flowing
And people who know that even gravel talks when listened to
I come from a people who calmly, softly said
‘They’re people too’
Long before any civil or equal rights movement
