My Name Is Maria

I wrote this poem while I was working at Freedom House, that wonderful place I have mentioned before in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. which is a shelter for political refugees. My ancestors came to America in the 1600's, but I can still imagine how exhilarating and frightening it must have been to leave the "Old Country" and set out for the "New World".

We all came here at different times and by different routes, but we are all in the same boat now, so we need to learn how to row together.

My Name is Maria
by Anne Jantz
Copyright 2004

My name is Maria, Anita or Carlos,
I come from South of the Rio Grande’s flow.
I wear a mantilla or a cooling sombrero,
I worship Christ Jesus in cathedrals of stone.
I left Metamoros or Sabrinas Hidalgo,
I left persecution under poverty’s heel.
I struggled North towards a bright, new tomorrow,
I came like so many to America’s shores.

My name is Sasha, Achmid or Rahima,
I come from the mountains where the Tigris begins.
I wear a burnoose or a fez made of scarlet,
I worship Allah and the prophet Mohammed.
I left Halabjah or Ali al Gharbi,
I left persecution from war’s cruel sword.
I came West for a bright, new tomorrow,
I came like so many to America’s shores.

My name is Abraham, Lev or Naomi,
I come from the steppes by the great Volga’s edge.
I cover my head when I enter my synagogue,
I worship my God there, the mighty Jehovah.
I left Kamyshin, Gorki or Volgagrad,
I left persecution for serving my God.
I came West for religious freedom,
I came like so many to America’s shores.

My name is Mai Ping, Chang Lim or Jasmine,
I come from the banks by the great Yangtze’s great course.
I wear quilted jackets and sandals of bamboo,
I worship in temples where Buddha is God.
I left Chungking or Wuhan or Shanghai,
I left persecution for just being alive,
I traveled East at the beckoning of freedom,
I came like so many to America’s shores.

My name is Promila, Shuva or Sirghit,
I come from the land by the Ganges great banks.
I wear silken saris or gleaming white turbans,
I worship in temples where Vishnu is Lord.
I left Calcutta or Rampur or Delhi,
I left grinding hunger, disease and despair,
I traveled West in my search for a haven,
I came like so many to America’s shores.

My name is Amadu, Kareem or Mahalia,
I come from the floodplains beside the wide Nile.
I wear a dashiki or robes of cool cotton,
I worship in mosques to my great God, Allah.
I left Debre Markos or Sinjah or Kigali,
I left the bloodshed and fighting behind.
I traveled West to find peace and freedom,
I came like so many to America’s shores.

My name is John, Nancy or William,
My ancestors came here three centuries ago,
They wore powdered wigs and shoes with large buckles,
They worshiped their God in a church painted white.
They left Jonkoping, Hamburg or Limerick,
They left persecution and famine behind.
They sailed to the West towards the promise of freedom,
They came to the New World on America’s shores.

My name is Brave Wolf, Moon Calf or Red Cloud,
My ancestors came here an eon ago.
I wear a suit or a dress from the mainstream,
I worship wherever the Great Spirit goes.
I stood on the shore when they all started coming,
I showed them the ways of the woods and the plains.
I lost my grasslands, my deer and my bison,
I lost the ways of my ancestors brave.
I need now to find a way through the future
Like all of the others on America’s shores.