A New Pledge

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

For who?

For you?

Cause not for me.

Not for the child whose skin bears a legacy
of stolen lands, unpaid labor, and history which they try to erase.


Not for the mother who cries.

Because the red and blue she knows took her son’s life. 
The red and blue she knows
works for a system built to cage,
to silence, to keep us in chains. 
They’re more subtle about it, but nothing has changed.

Justice for all?

Not for the father breaking his back
to harvest dreams he’ll never taste.
Deported at dawn, erased without trace,
a border drawn not in sand but in pain.

They shouting, “built the wall”. But deport the builders.

They hate our culture, until it benefits them.

They preach equality, but where is it at? 
When does my voice,
my sweat,
my blood
become worthy of the freedom you claim is mine?

You won’t catch me pledging allegiance to no flag the stands for profit, greed, and oppression.

To no nation whose priority isn’t the people that built it, but building a wall not just of stone,
but of laws, of lies, of systems that divide.

But don’t worry.

Yet, here we stand.
Battered, but not broken.
Silenced, but not unspoken.
because our stories will be heard.


So….

I pledge allegiance to my people, and to the hopes and dreams for which we stand, kings and queens under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for us.

~KC

The image cover for this poem is of Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality. He first took a knee on September 1, 2016, during a San Francisco 49ers preseason game, and now, nearly 10 years later, the things he was protesting against are still very prominent in the United States.