after danez smith
 
 
because
 
i was birthed on time; because i lived in a land of fight, of burnt temples, of street food sizzle, of numbers, of flower language; because i never crawled, i just got up and walked one day; because some feet touched cool earth but kept going; because i see bravery there, communion there, memory there; because i was cradled in colorful arms, raised in humid truths, surrounded by unconditional love; because everyone i always knew is there; because that is when i remember joy, abandon, growing; because i am afraid of forgetting; because i still left; because i am here now, lost but found, stolen but treasured, torn but dual; because i do not have anyone to tell my stories; because i have been reborn; because i live in a space of blanks, of revolution, of multitude, of borrowed things, of hurt; because i am always running; because my feet feel different on this new earth; because i see difference here, religion here, experiment here; because i was taught to settle like oil in clean water, convinced to paint my skin like white canvas, comforted by death and lonely; because i have come to know no one; because this is when i remember nothing; because i want a place where fear is not spilled on the sidewalks like blood, where guns are not synonyms for people, where freedom is more than just a statue; because i want a place to love my daughter, to heal my son, to protect my father, to understand my mom; because i want to live; because i know i can; because i still think of home; because home is in many places; because i ache to go back like addicts need their fix, like books need spine, like heroes need time; because i go but i always come back; because i want this for everyone; because i wrote this for everyone; because we are all
 
trying;