Once, when I was young,

I saw a stripped flag

swaying to the right of me.

I could not see where it was coming from,

but I could see the fabric swaying over the trees of I-4.

I never asked about the red, white, not blue.

I thought to maybe it was an American flag-

which was true.

Once when I was older,

I saw a stripped flag on I-4.

The same flag from my childhood.

But, instead of curiosity, I felt livid.

The red, white, and blue did not represent the America I envisioned.

The stripped flag what that “righteous” ‘X’ represents the America I try to ignore.

The sway of the fabric destroyed any attempt to fix the injustices of the world.

“It’s ‘Merica! I can do what I want!”

You want your guns, your churches, your pick up trucks?

I want my black peers to have the same approtunities as me and a unified America that does not destroy our differences, but learns how to embrace them as pure beauty

You know what I want? I want you, Mr. I-4 man, to get that 40-foot pole out of your old, hairy,

ask me what I want.

better yet, listen to your peers—let them tell you how your so-called patriotism makes them feel. Look,

I’m trying to be nice here. I can’t help that you’re racist, ignorant, prejudice, discriminatory, and just fucking uneducated.

But, you know what I can help? Teaching my kids to not look at your horrendous flag with curiosity but with rage

I can teach my kids that the flag on I-4 is something that does not represent America and therefore should not be admired.