Afraid
written by: Veronica E. Ramirez
@VeronicaR1997
Afraid to walk down the streets at night
Afraid that as a woman I’ll have no rights
Afraid that today might be my last
Afraid my niece will be a slave
My fears
They never go away
Afraid my child will lose their innocence
That they’ll become an adult way too soon
Why am I feeling this way?
Why is my head filling with all these nightmares
Afraid of another civil war
Afraid of the people that walk by
Afraid of the humans in white
Afraid of sitting on the bus
Why am I so afraid?
Afraid my nephew will be too scared to speak up
Afraid that my duty won’t be fulfilled
99 years since we were brought together
Half a century since we were set free
Yet it doesn’t feel that way
Afraid to show my culture
Afraid to wear my cross
Afraid to be me
Afraid of the world around me
And what it’ll become
But for now I’ll try to forget
And focus on my family
Yet the thoughts won’t go away
They stay and invade
Like soldiers on a battlefield
Afraid of the tears I’ll shed
Afraid of the bones I’ll break
Afraid of the things I’ll do
To keep my loved ones safe
I pray and I pray
Will they just go away?
Afraid they’ll come to my door
And ship me away
Afraid they’ll handcuff my hands
When I refuse
Afraid of a 4×4 cell
STOP!! STOP!!
My heart hurts
I cover my ears
GO AWAY!!
GO AWAY!!
I yell and scream
Yet they still come
Everyday
No matter how hard I try
To make them go away
These thoughts inside my mind
