Here on the Rio Grande by Joel Brogon

I wake up in the morning / I hear my friends outside

Singin’ the new day’s praises / As they spread their wings to fly

Breeze greets me gently / As the sun begins to rise

To shine on my mother’s people / From my father’s southern skies

Here on the Rio Grande / It’s where I want to be

I’m captive to her beauty / Her music sets me free

My heart is in this land / From the river to the sand

This is the place that makes me / Who I am

Our ancestor’s footprints / Still linger here today

Voices carry in the wind / To guide us on our way

Patterns of the ages / Are etched upon this place

But I can see the future / In each new baby’s face

Here on the Rio Grande / It’s where I long to be

I’m captive to her beauty / Her music sets me free

My heart is in this land / From the river to the sand

This is the place that makes me / Who I am

This is the place that makes me / Who I am

“Here on the Rio Grande” is my love letter to life along the river in deep South Texas.

So often, the story told about this region is a negative one. But the place I know is one of stunning natural beauty, of deep peace and profound connection, where bonds of land, culture, and family endure and transcend borders.

Sadly, my home is under constant strain, pressed by border wall construction, liquefied natural gas plant build-outs, the expansion of SpaceX, rapid population growth and development, and the looming promise of a massive oil refinery. Water is already scarce. Habitat loss is staggering, with less than five percent remaining. Endangered species who rely upon it face almost certain extinction. And now, many of my neighbors live in fear of being separated from their families and the only home they’ve ever known. This is the reality of life in the Rio Grande Valley in the 21st century, and it is heartbreaking.

So, on this Earth Day I invite you to sit along the banks of the river with me. For a moment, hold it with me in all its beauty and fragility. This is truly the place that makes me who I am, and it is certainly worth fighting for.