Winning Poems: Spanish Division
I AM (La Negra)
They didn't ask me my name
It wasn't about what I spoke
Or
what I believed in
Who I was
Or what I could do
They just asked me
"what are you?"
"where you from?"
Well
I guess I could be from Trinidad
Probably Barbados,
Maybe Jamaica
Or
somewhere in Haiti
Mira, brother
Yo soy de Loíza, Puerto Rico -- I'm Afro-Rican, man
De Santiago de Cuba -- I'm Afro-Cubana, pa
Eu sou brasileira, de Bahía -- I'm Afro-Brasilian, bro
I'm 100% Chocoana -- del estado negro de Colombia
Yeah papi I'm Colombian
De Yanga, Mejíco -- oh
You mean,
you didn't know there were black slaves
in Mexico?
From Africa to the Caríbe
From Suramérica to the North
I am the daughter of the diaspora
I am everywhere
In my hands
Is the creation of the Americas
In my feet
Are the baíles: salsa, cumbia, samba, reggae, guaguancó:
From to bomba to hip-hop
In my skin
I carry from the deepest brown
To the palest white
And
In my blood
In my blood
I carry the memories
Of a million stolen bodies
And unbreakable souls
In my blood are the proud conquistadores
And wretched immigrants
Brave Indian warriors
And the broken backs of Chinese slaves
Where there has been pain
Where there has been struggle
Where there has been triumph
There has been me.
I am everything.
Rob me
Beat me
Rape me
You can NOT
Break
Me
Down
Yo soy
Oshún
Yemaya
Yo soy la negrita
La prieta
Mulata, morena
La trigueña
YO SOY
I am mixed
Cinnamon
Honey
Brown
Black
Queen
Princess
Slave
La Negra, I AM.
A Springfield native educated at the University of Connecticut, La Universidad de Puerto Rico Recinto Rio Piedras, and Springfield College, Diane is currently an instructor of ESoL at MCDI. Her experiences in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and the United States continue to be her greatest poetic inspiration. "Life's difficult experiences are more than just learning opportunities, they are both the flames from which jewels of inspiration are formed, and the opportunity to reach and inspire others."
Second Place: Daisy Pereira-Tosada
Extranjera
Esta ma ñana
sentada al frente del espejo
no reconocí la mujer que me miraba.
Una mujer desolada,
llena de resentimiento,
envejecida mas alla de sus años.
Esta tarde
sentada solamente
no reconocí mis pensamientos,
tan tristes, amargos,
sin esperanza.
Esta noche
en tus brazos
voy a reclamar mi juventud.
Los años desaparecerán
con tus besos.
Esperenza volverá
con tu tacto.
Me voy a derretir
en el momento más obvio de pasión.
Mañana al levantarme
me sentare al frente del espejo
y no reconocere la mujer al frente de mi.
Stranger
This morning
as I sat in front of the mirror
I did not recognize the woman staring at me.
A desperate woman
full of resentment
aged much beyond her years.
This afternoon
as I sat alone
I did not recognize my thoughts,
so sad, bitter,
without hope.
This evening
in your arms
I will reclaim my youth.
The years will disappear
with your kisses.
Hope will return
with your touch.
I will melt
in the most obvious moment of passion.
Tomorrow when I awaken
I will sit in front of the mirror
and not recognize the woman sitting in front of me.
At age 12 a public school teacher, handed Daisy a journal. On that day, Daisy found that she preferred paper and pen to anything else. Daisy writes about her experiences and struggles as a Puerto Rican and lesbian woman. She loves to put thoughts on paper and share those sentiments at local readings. Daisy lives in Springfield with her loving wife and beautiful four year old twins.
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