My America.
When I heard this prompt, I asked myself,
"Why is my vision for America important?"
But then I realized that someday,
One day,
This will be my America.
My generation will shape the future.
My generation can be the generation to change the world.
But what will my generation change the world into?
Until I realized that I was in control of the future,
I was scared of it.
What it will be,
What it will hold.
But I believe that the future will be amazing.
I believe that my peers,
The people sitting next to me,
Who I pass in the hallways daily,
We will change the world.
Today I walked with my head down through the halls,
Fitting through the gaps in the throngs of people whose eyes never follow me.
My America will have more confidence.
My America will not have people telling others that they are not good enough.
My America will tell people that they are perfect the way they are,
That they never have to change.
My America will be confident enough to dance,
To sing,
To shine.
My America will walk with its head held high.
My America will be confident enough to stand up and say "no" when nobody else will.
My America will have the confidence to be who it wants to be.
My America will be confident.
My America will be tolerant.
No one should be able to tell us who we can love,
What we can say,
How we can express ourselves,
What to believe in,
Who to pray to.
No one should be able to tell us we don't know what we're doing.
My friends have all different sexualities and religions,
But that doesn't make them less human.
My America will be more tolerant of people's choices
And mistakes,
The scribbles over the wrong answer
The corrections in red pen yelling at us that we were wrong.
Mistakes are how we learn who we are,
And who we're going to be,
And when we tell people no,
We kill the person inside who is trying to get out.
My America will not tell people no.
That they can't love,
Can't believe,
Can't make mistakes,
My America will be tolerant.
My America will be beautiful.
My America will honor people who are different.
With different skin colors,
Disabilities,
Different languages.
They will not be persecuted.
Different is beautiful.
My America will not tell people they have to erase their differences,
Become someone else,
To be beautiful.
And not just beautiful on the outside,
My America will be full of people with beautiful hearts,
With honor,
Who love,
And care,
And will not tell people that they can't.
They will not murder,
Or rape,
Or hurt anyone just because they can.
And my America,
Full of beautiful hearts,
We will make the world a better place to live.
We will find a way to reduce greenhouse gasses,
Recycle,
Stop dumping waste into the ocean,
Stop tearing up the world just for its resources,
My America
Full of beautiful people
Who love differences,
With beautiful hearts,
Who care for others,
We will make the world gorgeous.
And my America will be beautiful.
My America will be brave.
My America will be brave enough to be kind,
To make mistakes.
My America will be brave enough to continue to protect itself,
Protect its freedom,
Protect its people,
From people who tell us that we can't be free,
Can't be who we want to be,
My America will be brave enough to have a beautiful heart.
My America will be brave enough to be different.
My America will be brave enough to put its life on the line,
Sacrifice everything,
To protect its freedom.
My America will
Be the land of the free,
Of the confident,
Of the tolerant,
Of the beautiful,
Of the different,
Of the brave.
This is my vision for what my America will be.
