To America


To America 

Inspired from Crazy Rich Asians 

This was never a competition between you and me. My fate was not simply a miraculous roll of the dice or a lucky hand. There was no winning. You made sure of that. And so I compromised, made do with the best I could. I made myself nobody. Not Mexican nor American, just Alien. If I had the right cards, I would’ve chosen to stay. Only a fool folds a winning hand. Funny, you probably thought I wanted to come. After all, who could resist the land of opportunity? In leaving my country in search of a better life, I sacrificed part of myself. Just enough to make me an outcast in my own country, not enough to make me a citizen in yours. Where are my rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Does my fight for a better life not embody your American Dream? I want to ask you these questions, but I speak in a language made obsolete through violence. In your Rosetta stone of immigration, my name is next to those of smugglers and drug dealers. But here’s my tablet, its story inscribed into the dark corners of your history. I built your country, your railroads, your buildings. One day in the future, when you stare into the mirror and see your own beauty, know that it was all because of me- a poor, low class, immigrant nobody. You can’t escape me because for once, I know that I’m enough, more than enough for you. It’s time for you to acknowledge that. I am another layer of complexity in your melting pot; I make you infinitely more beautiful. Do you see that there? A win-win situation for both of us. 


N.B. All italicized portions are quotes from Crazy Rich Asians  

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