FROM. [+ Audio]
- ☼
- Mar 26, 2019
- 1 min read
April 1st begins National Poetry Writer's Month, and I haven't written poetry in quite a long time. This is actually only the second piece I've written to publish on this blog in two years.
But I read a quote today that pushed me beyond my fears and towards this creative medium:
"I find there are seasons for prose/answers/declarations, & there are seasons for poetry/silence/mystery." -Shauna Niequest
Please enjoy the following creative work from my season of mystery. I have also recorded a reading for those who wish to listen and follow along.
FROM.
They ask:
"Where are you from?"
A question that is loaded with history
With conquest
With chains
With calamity
With chaos
A question so vague that its answers oft elude me
I listen for context and ask myself before I respond:
Do they want the long-form journey?
Or the short, neat, easy, microwaveable,
speed-dial, Nestle Quik, instasnap way to frame me?
Me preguntan:
"¿De donde eres tú?"
Y pienso
Si yo digo mi pais, ¿me creerán?
¿O es mi piel tan oscuro que no me discreparán?
I’ve now taken too long to answer,
It’s getting awkward
So they push harder:
But where are you really from?
Now, what I really wanna say is:
I come from
The idea of my Creator
The blood of my ancestors
The womb of my mother
The dreams of my father
The safety of my brothers
Pero, si solo quieren saber
para ponerme en una caja
para decidir quien yo soy
o quien yo será
Solo necesitan saber que
Yo vine desde amor
And I come from peace
y ahora yo estoy aquí
Or, I’ll probably give in (por lo usual)
and say:
"Yo soy de New York City."
☼
