“I Met America” by Uzomah Ugwu

Uzomah Ugwu is a poet/writer, curator,  and multi-disciplined artist. Her poetry, writing, and art have been featured internationally in various publications, galleries, and art spaces. She is a political, social, and cultural activist. Her core focus is on human rights, mental health, animal rights, and the rights of LGBTQIA persons. She is also the managing editor and founder of Arte Realizzata.

A Word from the Author:

These poems intertwine with one another, for they are both about being an immigrant and seeking asylum. One talks about what it is like when one comes here and what the experience is like for most. The other is a story of crossing the border after fleeing one’s country due to their sexual orientation. As a daughter of an immigrant, these poems speak volumes to my personal attachment to these poems and how immigration has close ties to the united states and the world.

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I met America but she rejected me

Her laws, her rules. She threw the book at me

Outlaws of humanity America made me

Scars she carved in my soul that

This would never be my home

I met America and set foot on her soil

But she didn’t want me to stay the

 way I came. America was not brave or free for me

I met America and she said I didn’t

Look American to her. So I should leave.