On the night of November 8th, 2016, I felt as if I was in a different world. I saw cheers of certainty, but also saw tears of uncertainty. I felt numb by the reality of the moment we were in, win or lose. I felt at a loss for the days to come, or for the words to speak. Everyone was watching each other, waiting for something to happen. We were all still in this moment. We were all feeling something that night. The following day, I went to my theater class. We came together and sang, moved, and voiced our certainties and uncertainties. We moved throughout the space to express our love, our life, and human condition. I needed this. I needed a safe space to create with my artists.

Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator

My Professor asked us to finish this sentence, "My America Is..." To me, My America is this,

My America is

My America is scared

It has brought fear to be dared

A tear in all our hearts

Filled with fears of being broken apart

We share insults from ridge to ridge, on how to build the same bridge

My America is going to be the land of the free, and home of the brave

We will have the resilience and the determination, to be a great nation

My brothers and sisters, my teachers, my artists, my friends, we will create a world of trends

Filled of love, and compassion, in the greatest fashion

Muslims, Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans,

LGBTQ, Disabled, will can all be able to make this great

We have a voice, filled with power, in the greatness for desire

A desire for rights, love, and hope

We don't have to cope

How dare someone tell you to cope

Don't leave America, believe in America

I believe in you

We can make this right, both equal for us, too

Inform, make this be the norm

That we have a right to be free, despite those who disagree

Make them see what it means to believe and make that choice to be the voice of reason,

Don't riot or burn the flag,

Burn with passion

Burn with love

My America is under attack

Through the lack of knowledge and composure

You can't treat me like that, sir

Our gender and our race

We have a lot at stake, and there cannot be any mistakes

This America is not worth these risks and fates of human beings

We all need to quit being inhumane

My America, will be filled with love and understanding, so we can stay standing

My America, is your America, an equal one, we will strive for that

Let no one take you away from that

I wouldn't be okay with that

It wouldn't be okay

It has never been okay.