Fight or Flight Response

I was made very aware Of what others think I am Shortly after 9/11 You see, Some strongly opinionated people Thought it best to express How they felt about America- I was 5 when it happened Two pretty towers- That stood tall in the sky Peering over the city- Fell After two planes crashed into them Like bullets America Was scared And so was I But America has a habit Of blaming the whole For the actions Of the parts And sometimes America forgets to distinguish Differences in race or culture From the schema She has concocted in her mind I have mourned A loss because Of the radical terrorist attack On September 11th We will never forget Like the human body Under stress The production of adrenaline Is all or nothing A fight or flight response Terror - The very word strikes fear Into the hearts of those Who in response, Spread hate You see, I am not Muslim Nor am I from the Middle East However, My surname is Ramlakhan Therefore, I will be stopped At airport security Ironically, my last name Isn’t supposed to be Ramlakhan It is supposed to be Ramlakan Because adding an “h” Implies that I am Muslim When actually I am Hindu Raised by two devout Christians Oh, what’s in a name? You see, this is not about names It’s about skin color Religion Cultural practices Economic stature It’s about every possible thing That we use to distinguish people- One from the other It’s a problem It became a problem When we started identifying people As “How is he different than me?” And this mentality Got passed on to a new generation Which history shows us Will make this stigma even harder To exterminate I am human. If you cut me I will bleed You and I are more alike Than you could possibly think 9/11 - We will never forget Has become the mantra Of America It is heard over and over again On the first year anniversary 9/11 - We will never forget When the War on Iraq initiated 9/11 - We will never forget 10 years later, 9/11 - We will never forget When Bin Laden was murdered 9/11 - We will never forget America, I think it is time to forget The girl with small eyes but a Huge smile begs She just wants to fly on an airplane Without having her suitcases searched Without suspicions Without the assumption That she’s less than a human For a crime she did not commit