Here to Stay

in Arabic
we have words
you can't say 
in English.

words you wish
you had.

rich language,
rich heritage,
proud people.

you want us
to disappear,

not because 
you hate us,

but because
the envy runs
in your blood.

just like the waters of
the Nile and Tigris Rivers,
the Dead and Jordan Seas,
the Arabian Gulf,
and the Persian Gulf
flow through our blood

telling you
that we are
a persistent people.

and we are not
going anywhere.

we are here to stay
because while our blood
comes from the deserts
of Arabia, North Africa,
and the Levant,

the land of
America

belongs as much to us
as it does to you.