Perceived as the enemy,
We unleash a deadly torrent.
Destroying our own brethren,
Nothing’s more abhorrent.

We pulled the trigger at a distance.
Closer, we would have recognized our brothers.
Avoiding the notification of next of kin,
The screams of sisters, fathers, children and mothers.

Oh, unholy distance!
The space that separates us all.
May God help us close the gap,
Before more innocent victims fall.

This fear that permeates our land,
A terrorist threat lurking behind every day.
Living in a locked and loaded world,
Is this paranoia here to stay?

The war on terror in Iraq,
The other in Afghanistan.
The reassurance of our elected officials,
“We’re doing the best we can.”

Although the combat is “over there,”
Exterminating insurgents who assault law and order.
Heightened vigilance about worldwide threats to our safety,
Now permeate the domestic dialogue about our border.

Within the wounded soul of this nation,
Hell bent on eradicating terror.
We’re wounding those within our own communities,
Tragic examples of this error.

They are the band of resident undocumented immigrant native students.
It’s easier to use an acronymn; I’ll refer to them as B.R.U.I.N.S.
America is the only country they have ever known,
Their dreams of contributing to the future of this nation lay in ruins.

Most of them came from Mexico,
Infants in the arms of mom or dad.
Led by visions of a better life,
Overcoming obstacles that would make most raving mad.

Today they’re proud, young Americans,
Without passports, social security cards, or a license from the DMV.
Innocents caught in the cultural crossfire,
Immobilized in the chaos, face down in the DMZ.

They’re the determined ones in college classrooms,
Legally denied a federally funded scholarship.
Standard issue for the battle we deny them,
Assuming higher education is a privilege they will skip.

Enlisted as participants in this nation,
Consent or dissent was not their choice.
Remember, they were drafted as defenseless infants,
When will we recognize their voice?

Surveying the threat in a battlefield of faces,
Separating friendlies from the liar.
Oh merciless obsession with war on terror,
Forgive us for creating victims of friendly fire.