Plea

Forgive me, my developing brothers.
I abandon you to flee into the arms of a greedy land.
You must understand, my intentions were not to cause you harm.
I was one of you; I am a part of you.
I came from struggle, sorrow, & poverty.

I remember when she bore me;
she greeted me with a bright smile on her face, filled with hope.
She nurtured me, feeding me only from her supple breast.
She didn’t have much but what little she did; to me she’d give.
My mother country was good to me.
And how do I repay her?
With betrayal!

Forgive me, my developing brothers.
I abandon you to flee into the arms of a greedy land.
I left with intentions of coming back.
Then I got there and he promised me the world,
Of nothing, I would ever lack.
He was a charmer, you see.
He showered me in luxury.

At first I was overwhelmed with exhilaration,
but as time passed, it became my expectation.
Luxury was my new fascination.
I took what I wanted even if it was more than I needed.
My desires had no limitations.

Forgive me, my developing brothers.
You must understand, my intentions were not to cause you harm.
My ignorance was sustained by the hunger of my greed.
Mother country’s voice, I would sometimes hear,
But the message never reached my ears.

Once I took off my diamond earrings, the sound became clear.
“Where did you get all those pretty things?”
Mother country’s message, I could finally hear.
The answer to her question, I did not know.
I searched for clues in the items he bought me.

Every item had traces of a smell, I knew to well.
The scent of struggle, sorrow, & poverty I could detect.
Promises of life & liberty he preached.
A fighter for justice he, himself, proclaimed.
When truly he was a monster who used lies to hide his shame.

Mother country and her sisters were his slaves.
Enslaved by desperation & manipulation,
Forced to sustain his lifestyle of excess.
And I?
I, I was his accomplice.



By I. Indy Alvarez