More Than Anything Else
I am more than
just your diversity quota
your box to check
to ignore
in the crevasses
of your privilege-d
spreadsheet.
I am more than
your token
your weapon
to use against
those who have also been
beaten down
at the expense of your need
to suppress our humanity
for your own power.
I am more than the narratives
and storylines
you have implanted
into my mind
my subconscious
for years and years and years
and years and years before me.
I am more than just the pain
that lives in my body every day
after generations and generations
of exploitation, colonization, of harm
you have inflicted
intentionally,
systematically,
consistently
over and over again
for your own power.
I am more than the anger
that rages inside me
every time I read a headline,
hear a slur,
see a side eye.
I am still lit by a fire
present
and alive
despite your efforts
to gun me down
spit in my face
push me off the subway platform
stab me in my own home
pummel me in broad daylight
1-2-125 times.
All to silence me
from screaming
that I am more than all of that.
I am more than the oppression
that chokes and tries to kill
my joy
my sanity
my body
Me.
At five feet, one and a half,
I am not afraid to stand tall
against these insidious forces,
to fight back
with my own humanity,
knowing that it is the only way
to live.
This is what I pray for.
This is what I fight for.
This is what I want
more than anything else.
Kim Thai is the Founder/Executive Director GaneshSpace: a grassroots community (501c3 non-profit) organization dedicated to advancing social justice through mindfulness education. They practice cultivating awareness through our breath to honor the identities we embody; and to reflect on the power and privilege we each hold.
They believe our liberation is dependent on one another; and by healing ourselves, we can create collective change together. See how change can start with our breath here.
