By Jo Reyes-Boitel
here I am: grafted from the resilience of a 4’7” matriarch traveling 46 hundred miles to freedom
island sensibilities moated by Texas deserts mud pies and dark nights scented in pine
cold Minnesota Septembers
I make my home now in a land of pecan and mesquite.
obligado de cambiar mi idioma de Español to English
my connection to this family history almost destroyed
I was rebuilt by a grandfather who sang uno, dos, tres
I am the struggle of Taino and Carib
sofrito in quimbombo son montuno and a countryside quajira
The calmness of a deep breath, I am the Malecon, shielding us from rough seas
I am Oya’s daughter, cooled by Obatala’s hand
I am the memory keeper and poet
descended from a bombmaker revolutionary welder
I roll the sweetness in my voice and forge myself into being
I carry migration stories in my cellular structure
I am a manifestation of my people
unapologetic liberation
and I’m here to tell you: I am whole
You are whole
We are whole
Jo Reyes-Boitel : writer, motivator/supporter, mother, daughter to oya and obatala, rabid music listener, percussionist and lover. texas transplant, by way of minnesota | florida | mexico | cuba.
