What Happen To Us Poem by Rue Palmer

I'm not here to sugarcoat the truth,
Or dress up lies to comfort the youth.
I look at our people and wonder why
Some dreams are buried before they can fly.

Our ancestors struggled, suffered, and fought,
With almost nothing—but still they had thought.
They built with their hands, they prayed, they endured,
They knew that education had to be secured.

Now look at us—what have we become?
Too many chasing the flash and the drum.
Too much attention on fame and display,
While discipline slowly gets pushed away.

Other cultures came here with plans in their eyes,
Built businesses, families, and watched them arise.
They saved what they earned, they invested and grew,
While some of our people forgot what to do.

This isn't about color, nor hatred, nor shame—
It's about looking ourselves square in the frame.
If we blame everybody for where we stand,
We surrender the power that's still in our hands.

I won't call myself "woke"—I'll call myself awake,
And ask some hard questions for conscience' sake.
Because loving your people means telling them true:
Nobody can change us if we won't change too.

Yesterday's struggle should not be our crown,
We honor our history by building it up, not down.
The past gave us strength, the future needs more—
So let's stop asking what others have done,
and ask what we're doing it for.