"Make America great again"

a slogan plastered in red, white, and blue on dozens of bumpers

everytime i see it it makes me sick

because it's bullshit

two lies in one

America won't be "great again"

it never was great

America was built on a foundation of fear

started by immigrants, we came with a sense of entitlement

thinking all we surveyed was rightfully ours

nevermind the natives who lived here decades before us

we destroyed them

like Hitler and the Jews

we were afraid

we were greedy

and so we killed

America's birth was shadowed by death

bathed in blood

midwifed by fear

and not much has changed

we are still afraid

we are afraid of the immigrants

we are afraid of the LGBTQ community

we are afraid of equality

because equality would mean change

it would mean destroying intolerance and eradicating prejudice

it would mean admitting we've been in the wrong since the very start

if America is ever to be great

we need to abandon our pride

we need to let go of our intolerance

we need to cast off our fear

fear will only ever breed prejudice

prejudice will only ever birth hate

hate will only ever raise violence

if we are to be great

we must learn empathy

we must learn compassion

we must learn love