I do not care to be hero,
I do not care to be martyr—
liberation will not arrive
from heavenly beings,
or come from praying
to a silent god—
how many prayers
have gone to waste,
as blood flowed
at the hands of colonizers,
invaders with swords and uniforms?

they stole our land,
and tried stealing our souls,
fill our minds with fears
of sin and disobedience,
meanwhile they built fences
and walls, and prisons and cages—
let us pray for our enemies,
let us obey the laws of the land,
disobedience is ungodly—
the enemy does not listen,
unless we show our fangs

no colonizer ever left
by peaceful means and prayers.

Bio: Jesus Cortez is a West Anaheim poet, writer and photographer.

Photo provided by author