“Intruders”​ 2021, 36 x 48, acrylic and oil on canvas, You were just as curious as the man who sailed the ocean blue in 1492, eager to get his hands on land that was not his; claiming parts of me that now belong to you, then leaving me as a prisoner chained to the memories of the force used // everything that once glittered in gold turned barren and grey, the prize you went searching for turned into the price my whole tribe had to pay // until the day you boarded the ships to sail away and set everything free , you forgot to load up the most valuable gem, me; you may have left tracks in the sand but this is my land , so I watch the shore meet the tide to wash away your debris, as I proceed to reclaim every ounce of my body. Artist: Briana Zacarias