“Give Me Your Tired,” by Brianna Tran
November 2, 2018
Give Me Your Tired
I can say all that where I come from
to where my parents, and their parents were born.
But what does it matter our skin, hair or eyes
It’s lineage that matters.The seed in which knows
how to grow into an apple tree,
the apple falls and the seed grows
to an apple tree once again,
that is our ancestors.The understanding of people is what matters. The history of why I even ended up here. And why I
can’t find my way back.
I can say all that where I come from
to where my parents, and their parents were
I am in a place in which was founded upon the such idiocrasy of a man in a monarch.
I am in a place in which men took over a
civilization,
A far way land that they did not need,
That which was the ugliest times we can revisit, if so truth will be called out.
Made their own rules apart from the Natives
And called it their own country.
Please, tell me the story of your origin.
Tell me the story of your ancient peoples.
I come from the mountains in the sky
Martial arts and medicine,
I come from spicy food and rice in baskets,
I come from tales of mermaids, dragons, and sea serpents
This was the anthem of my people
And not your joke
This was the symbol of my people
Not your production
This goes for all
For the freedom of horses should roam and run
The beating of the drum should continue to play
The richest of lands should have been
remained untouched
Those chants meanings would be the song that lived
To the continents of the world, tell me your story.
What is the story of thy lineage?
Brianna Tran wrote this poem while a 12th Grader at Middle College High School, with WITS Writer Danny Sherrard. Performed at the sold-out Women You Need to Know (WYNK) Series event with Jill Lepore at Benaroya Hall on October 12, 2018.