We have to go

My daughter doesn't want to go to the March
I told her we had to

She had the audacity to ask why
Why do we have to go?

The father in me wanted to roar
against the obstinate teenager in my midst
and answer with the easiest retort

Because I said so

But I remembered
how that’s never a very convincing answer

So I wrote this for her:

We have to go
to remember the struggle that got us here
the marches before this one
the ones that started in peace
and ended with water cannons and rubber bullets

We have to go
to remember that the struggle is still not over
that clean water shouldn't be too much to ask for
that health care shouldn't be a political issue
that Black Lives Matter

We have to go
because the revolution is not a hashtag
or a blogpost
and it was never televised

We have to go
because we stand on the shoulders of Cesar Chavez
While farm workers carry the burden of our healthy living
on their backs

We have to go
for the Syrian Refugees un-welcomed by our governor
for the DACA Dreamers un-welcomed by the right wing
for all the women and children who escaped tyranny,
only to be welcomed into private prisons

We have to go
because the man that called your grandfather a rapist and drug dealer,
hosted Saturday Night Live
on his way to becoming a Wednesday Morning Nightmare

We have to go
because you can't escape the darkness of your skin
given to you by generations of those that toiled under terrible suns

We have to go
to remind ourselves that we can
because there are still places on earth that haven't tasted freedom

We have to go
while we still can

We have to go
por los 43 de Ayotzinapa

We have to go
Porque si se puede

We have to go
because we need more kids with funny names in the White House

We have to go
because Martin said so





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