Alejandra Santiago, '16

My Accent

     It is a funny thing to have an accent:
     It means you get nervous when you see
     A tough word to pronounce.
     It means most
     of your words will sound the same.
     But mostly it means you are from
     somewhere else.

     My accent is born
     from sand and it tastes like salt,
     Its sounds sharp, the way waves crash.
     It has been raised while listening
     To bomba y plena and a lot of R’s.
     It has been made from arroz y habichuelas
     By grandmother’s hands.

               ¤ ¤ ¤

Soy

     My father used to say:
     Anyone who does not love his country,
     Does not love his mother.

     I am my mother’s pot full of frijoles,
     I am my grandmother’s cry for independence,

     I have the Caribbean Sea that circles me like my skirt,
     I have the wind that untangles my hair,
     I have the rain as a shower and a sun to keep me warm.

     My lungs breathe a beautiful light blue sky,
     My eyes are filled with early salty mornings,
     My ears burst with the sound of coquí and drums,
     My skin is burnt from heat and sun,
     My feet are chapped from endless walks over beach rocks,
     My blood is red like my flag.