I gaze at the patchwork of my past.
tattered by uncertainty,
quilted with rubble, smoke, fire, & the dead.

I have been wounded, cursed, & spit upon,
but I refused to be broken.
This time it is no different.

Though my enemies try to shroud me with terror,
in the name of safety
Though my enemies espouse a stagnant scheme
in the name of freedom
Though my enemies slaughter my children
in the name of security
I will not stumble.

See these shattered monuments before me?
They are not symbols of my greatness.
They are symbols of my loss:

Loss of innocence
Loss of ingenuity
Loss of that radical spirit
that was forged at my conception.

Because they have crumbled,
Does not mean I have crumbled.

Because men proclaim my name in vain,
fingers in their ears,
does not mean I am whole.

But take courage.
Stand proud.
Still I stand.
Wave my banner high.

Forget the obsolete prison bars & stars.
Weave a new one
together
that will wash the muck & mire from my true face
like a flood.
Make it rise.

Yes the future is blurry.
Yes, the road may be long.
Stay the course.
Know that spreading your voice
is victory.

I am resilient.
I am revolution.
I am America.

September 11, 2006