Alien in My Land

If we pass,
Shake my hand.
I am original;
I hold the truth of all mankind
bottled in my genetic structure.

I belong to a land
you have not found
nor ever shall
I am the object of all past
unity—
time, place, and action—

Driven by the anxious wailing
of my forefathers
to seek peace in your land.

So
shake my hand.

John Barrett