let the ice melt

let the ice melt
let them lose their pelts of hate and coldness
let them see

let them see the horror they cause,
turning neighbors into enemies

how do they sleep
when their faces and realities meet?
when they see the person they’ve chosen to be—
a life built on “safety,”
but rooted in fear

we say this ICE issue is about criminals
we say they make our nation unlivable
all this talk of “illegal” residents

but who decides what that means?
who draws the line between human and label?

children are still being taken away
tear-stained faces,
begging to stay—
when did this become okay?

we are told to be quiet
to be patient
to wait

but we see the patterns,
the lies,
the repeated mistakes

and to be honest—
we’re not angry enough

the way they treat people just like them so rough
should shake something in us

no one is illegal on stolen land
it’s never too late to take a stand

we are somebodies, not some bodies
we are human first

and i will not stay silent

i’m young—yes
but my voice is still mine

we protest peacefully
even when met with violence

and if others shrink when it’s real

my spine will stay strong, made of steel
i’ll stand where their courage should be

do your part or don’t—
it’s not stopping me

your silence
won’t stop my sound

we live in a world
where children remind adults what’s right

“we do it for the children,” they say
but those same children hide in fright

pick up the phone listen when we call

because there is no true freedom
until freedom belongs to all