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American Immigrant Literature Online Texts |
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I Have Not Signed a Treaty with the United States Government by Chrystos |
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nor has my father nor his father nor any grandmothers We don’t recognize these names on old sorry paper. Therefore we declare the United States a crazy person nightmare lousy food ugly clothes bad meat nobody we know
No one wants to go there. This US is theory illusion terrible ceremony The United States can’t dance can’t cook has no children no elders no relatives They build funny houses no one lives in but Everything the United States does to everybody is bad No this US is not a good idea We declare you terminated You’ve had your fun now go home we’re tired We signed no treaty WHAT are you still doing here Go somewhere else and
build a McDonald’s We’re going to tear all this ugly mess down now We revoke your papers your soap suds your stories are no good your colors hurt our feet our eyes are sore our bellies are tied in sour knots Go Away Now You must be some ghost in the wrong place wrong time Pack up your toys garbage lies We who are alive now Have signed no treaties Burn down your stuck houses you’re sitting in a nowhere gray glow Your spell is dead Go so far away we won’t remember you ever came here Take these words back with you |