by Michelle Ramirez

I am a woman, not a girl
I have seen my ancestors bury their tribulations in the past, yet I
still remember where I come from

I am a woman, not a girl
My heritage is home to many
My first language, ah, español
holy water through my veins
Taino blood from the native tribes of Puerto Rico

I am the child of an Afro-Latino and a Spaniard
I am a woman, not a girl,
born in the United States,
raised in Moca, Puerto Rico.

A witness to the glories and tribulations of being a traveling child
Dancing between the golden autumn leaves and the Caribbean
sun, I learned how to cultivate lemons from my abuela’s garden

When people ask me where my accent is from, I reply
It comes from all over the world
I am a native island woman conquering her own.