An Immigrant Hymn (My Immigration Story Against Trump)

By Ritu Saheb, Architect, AIA

Author when she first arrived in New York, 1996

Must be difficult, to unlearn,
Everything you once knew,
New life now embrace,
Accept a different way as true.

Must be difficult, to get used,
To faces not brown, but white and black,
To internalize new skills and,
Master the new with an easy knack.

Must be difficult, more than the ways,
To tragically leave behind,
Monsoon tropical days,
Family and friends kind.

Must be difficult, to restart,
From the bottom of the ladder,
With your foreign accent part,
Keep memories from making you sadder.

But, yet you do it,
With great joy and pain,
To keep a promise to yourself,
To pursue happiness, hopefully NOT in vain!

By Ritu Saheb

Author contributing to the New York design-construction industry, and enjoying freedoms that American values make possible,

Originally published at www.sahebarchitecture.com on February 1, 2017.