miguel santiago flores

if they want to call this boy a flower / let them do so / but tell them what it takes / to grow / teach them that the same hands they throw / can be used to sow / can be used to know the earth / lay down or give birth / these green things are used to work / these immigrants come from dirt, but that don’t make them dirty / green things always in search for sunlight / we thrive on spite, survive on white / find worth in dark corners without our sight / our roots dig deepest at night / our fruit the sweetest with height / these truths are optimists / youth budding at the spring cleaning, show them your calloused knuckles / how you hustle and bustle / how you ready to burst / to surge to new levels / to find good news and share it too / we laugh / we already knew / so you tell them if they want to call this boy a flower / that you hope it means they’re ready for a garden show / they grow / we grow / and don’t ever stop growing