For My People

For my people
who invented the zero
and the Bollywood hero
The ones who build temples and masques side by side
The ones who won freedom and democracy through non-violence

For my people
who come in all variations of brown pigment
The brave, the ingenious and the I’d-do-anything-for-my-kids people
The ones who toil on the farms and
The ones who tinker at software firms

For my people
All those who speak at least two or three languages
The ones who are both modern and ancient at once
For the two million that are away from home,
Be proud and be strong, for my people

Author’s comments: I tried to mimic one of the poems that were discussed in Teaching for Joy and Justice. I would really like to have my students also experiment with this topic and genre. I may share this poem with my students as a way to show that I am also willing to take risks and reveal myself in our learning community.

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