why don’t you take a picture, it might last longer …

                 mi abuelo came up here every summer

to break his back for your forbidden fruit

that’s right, he could lift a basket of tomatoes

over his head with one hand

the muscles in his shoulders were so massive

that mi abuela had to shampoo his hair for him

he’s dead now, got killed defending a friend in the field

it’s a war here brothers and sisters

there are no civilians, only soldiers

only bodies, one by one passing away

among accusation that we have our eye on a bigger prize

or that we enjoy coming up being treated like parasites

by those who suffer much like us

you know, we can make our own bread

raise our own corn

and we can smile a big smile to everyone we meet

how has this field of fruit become a field of battle

when did the protectors become the oppressors

we are not the enemy

we do not offend, or commission work to foreign slavers

we neither evict nor perpetrate homelessness

so put that flashlight down, señor

the only thing illegal here is your attitude

and your activity toward your fellow human beings

be careful where you point that weapon

lest the target that you aim for

be your own reflection