Nobody in my family
Remembers those before
My great grandfather
And we don’t even remember his name

All we know is that he was a rich and selfish man
Who spared no money
For his oldest son
When he moved to America

And so my grandfather came halfway across the world
With
Two kids
One wife
And a dream

Or so the story goes

And every time I see him
He towers over me and
He tells me
That one day, I will grow tall too
Just like him

He tells me that
He worked days and nights
Struggled and strained
Battled ignorance and intolerance
So that I could be here
Instead of working the fields or
Wishing for an education or
Dying in the name of my religion or
Suffering because of the color of my skin or
Starving in a faraway place

He tells me
He fought so that
I could succeed

He fought
For me