A Hummingbird’s Colors

By Bethany Cruz, 16

Family from generations ago,
Traveling far to reach a place
For a better life
Just like a bird migrates in the spring,
Its colorful feathers dulled
As it zips by, blending in.
Forced into a life unfamiliar to them,
Forced to hide their colorful wings,
Full of culture and diversity,
All for their children and grandchildren
To grow up in a place better than they did.
All for their family to grow,
To spread their wings and fly,
To embrace who they are,
Finally revealing the bright colors that those before them
Were forced to hide.
Put into a place that seemed like a utopia,
It’s true colors finally revealed
As a place of hate and discrimination,
Hiding behind the Founding Fathers’ words.
A place that appears colorful from a distance,
With colors from all over the world,
Revealed to be dull,
As you stand on the cold, gray pavement,
Surrounded by white, gray, and black buildings,
Oppressed by those around and above you.
Nothing like the hummingbird
Whose colorful wings were made to fly.

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This poem was inspired by my grandmother. She was an immigrant who came here looking for a better life. When she passed away, I wasn’t able to tell her good bye, so I wrote this as a way of honoring her.

Instagram: @bethany.cruz.35

Photo by Alexander Rotker