This piece emerged as a product of the current political climate. Regardless of one’s ideological position, the nation is irrefutably divided by a numerous injustices occurring daily. These are mitigated not only by the media but the governing offices as well. With this poem, I aimed to ignite contemplation and discussion. I hoped to illustrate the scale of social controversies by delineating them as simple but broad lines that speak to the “bigger picture”. The groups that I mention in the composition (women, people of color, immigrants, and homosexuals) are examples of demographics that are systematically oppressed. Many majorities do not recognize their own privilege, and are therefore oblivious to the inequalities that linger in modern society.

I titled the poem “The Same” to emphasize the common misconception that discrepancies among social divisions have dissolved. “The Same” initially appears to be an ordinary phrase until it is placed within the poem. As the reader progresses through the poem, the title represents irony and ignorance.

I am incredibly passionate and unwavering in my convictions. As a child of faith, full of American pride, I advocate for the equal treatment of and opportunity for the nation’s people as a whole. I am also a person of color, as I am half Filipino. My father was an immigrant from the Philippines at age fifteen. I am a homosexual woman. These pains that the nation is plagued with are pains of my own. I was inspired to write this piece as an admonition- to captivate those who have yet to grasp an understanding of the mistreatment themselves which they have so fortunately not fallen victim to. I was inspired to depict the seemingly rudimentary freedoms that not all Americans enjoy. I was inspired to inspire the desire for education and for action.