Home of the Brave

“This America is hard work.” 

This quote reflects Kek’s original impression of the cold Minnesota landscape that he has been thrust into. Between adjusting to a wintery environment and struggling with a new language, Kek is only beginning to realize the challenges that lie before him in America.

“I reach into my pocket

and feel the soft cloth

I carry with me everywhere.

Blue and yellow,

torn at the edges,

the size of my hand,

soft as new grass after good rain.” 

The blue and yellow cloth that Kek carries around with him is from the time when he was separated from his mother during the attack on his family’s camp. When his mother falls and screams at him to run, he tears off a piece of her dress before fleeing. The fabric represents his lost mother and his hope to be reunited with her in America. 

“In my old home back in Africa,

cattle mean life.

They are our reason

to rise with the sun,

to move with the rains,

to rest with the stars.

They are the way we know

our place in the world.”

Kek does not understand why more Americans don’t value the cow. They are central to the Sudanese way of life. This is why seeing the sad-looking cow at the farm warms Kek’s heart and reminds him of his former home, even if it is a maligned version of the herds he once knew.