I, too, sing America
I am the stranger
From a distant shore.
Scrutinized for diseases
They give me work others will not do,
Carving horse flesh for dog food,
Hunching over tables of fabric
With hot irons.
But
Shared stories of
The old country feed us,
And we grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I’ll teach your children
In your schools.
Nobody’ll dare
Point at me
Laughing at my accent,
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see the gifts I have to give
And be ashamed —
I, too, am America.
July 4, 2026
Livija Marta Rieksts
