"Alegría", "Clave", "Whisperings" & "Puños y Trompones" are poems that were recently published in the anthology of women writers
Mujeres: the Magic, the Movement & the Muse available at www.robleswrites.com
Mujeres: the Magic, the Movement & the Muse available at www.robleswrites.com
Grab yourself a copy of the first edition The Dominican Dream published by La Galería Magazine.
ONLINE PUBLISHED POETRY:
I am grateful to La Galeria magazine and the Dominican Writers for providing online space to my voice. You can access my most recent poems "before they arrived" and "voy pa'lla " by clicking on these aforementioned titles. Below are the other two poems published by these two platforms for our cultural community. Enjoy the read!
"¡Barbarázo!"
(First published by Dominican Writers in January 2016)
"¡Barbarázo! ¿tu no te piensa afeitar?"
I heard him say to you y yo respondí:
"Mi hermano, no le hagas caso y Ojalá…"
Ojalá when you’re grooming that dark oak rugged beard
as the Moroccan argan oil tames the frizz of its roots
Ojalá you notice the resemblance between you and our Arabic brotherhood
your moro-eating self may not recognize what is in plain view
the Moros y Cristianos that are mixed in your blood’s truth
though over millennia ago the conquest is still seen
in your hair as its growth
clings to your face marking you different than most
a beard strategically shaven to carve out your mouth
or shaped so that it is sprouting towards your cheeks
leading me to see
the nuez moscada colored windows of your soul
it is the part of our ancestry that is hidden by some females
bleaching and yellowing their hair as if blonde
is what our European roots produced
it is the part of our Spanish heritage we don't declare
it is the part of our identity
that as Dominicans we cannot hide behind our ears
it is the part of our culture spoken in our soul when we hear:
Ojalá, Ojalá, Oh Allah
it is on our face, our eyes & our ways of saying
"God, I wish!'
so go ahead let this beard remind your friend
que 'Dios te dió barba por que tienes quijá"
Ojalá, ojalá, ojalá
que en este país con todo el terorismo
que está pasando que no te juzguen por ser auténticamente tu:
humano y nada más.
(First published by Dominican Writers in January 2016)
"¡Barbarázo! ¿tu no te piensa afeitar?"
I heard him say to you y yo respondí:
"Mi hermano, no le hagas caso y Ojalá…"
Ojalá when you’re grooming that dark oak rugged beard
as the Moroccan argan oil tames the frizz of its roots
Ojalá you notice the resemblance between you and our Arabic brotherhood
your moro-eating self may not recognize what is in plain view
the Moros y Cristianos that are mixed in your blood’s truth
though over millennia ago the conquest is still seen
in your hair as its growth
clings to your face marking you different than most
a beard strategically shaven to carve out your mouth
or shaped so that it is sprouting towards your cheeks
leading me to see
the nuez moscada colored windows of your soul
it is the part of our ancestry that is hidden by some females
bleaching and yellowing their hair as if blonde
is what our European roots produced
it is the part of our Spanish heritage we don't declare
it is the part of our identity
that as Dominicans we cannot hide behind our ears
it is the part of our culture spoken in our soul when we hear:
Ojalá, Ojalá, Oh Allah
it is on our face, our eyes & our ways of saying
"God, I wish!'
so go ahead let this beard remind your friend
que 'Dios te dió barba por que tienes quijá"
Ojalá, ojalá, ojalá
que en este país con todo el terorismo
que está pasando que no te juzguen por ser auténticamente tu:
humano y nada más.
How not to fall in love con un dominicano
... in díque ten steps ...
(First published in January 2016)
Step 1:
Recognize & accept the
PTHSD (Post-Trujillo Hyper Sexual Disorder)
the community has faced &
understand how it justifies
his concubine-building tendencies.
Step 2:
Do not dance
merengue or bachata
with him for this will be
elegant
transformative
& sensual.
Recognize & accept the
PTHSD (Post-Trujillo Hyper Sexual Disorder)
the community has faced &
understand how it justifies
his concubine-building tendencies.
Step 2:
Do not dance
merengue or bachata
with him for this will be
elegant
transformative
& sensual.
Step 3:
Do not call him ‘papi’
because this will solidify
his possession over you.
Equally, don’t respond to
his calling you ‘mami’ for
this will indulge your ego
in more ways
than one.
Step 4:
Do not accept his chivalry
as a form of respect
it is part of his game.
Step 5:
Do not forget he may be into you para mangarte la visa.
Remember, although the sum of money
may take care of some of your student debt
there is no amount of money that will forgive you
placing a price on your spirit, soul and possibly freedom.
Do not call him ‘papi’
because this will solidify
his possession over you.
Equally, don’t respond to
his calling you ‘mami’ for
this will indulge your ego
in more ways
than one.
Step 4:
Do not accept his chivalry
as a form of respect
it is part of his game.
Step 5:
Do not forget he may be into you para mangarte la visa.
Remember, although the sum of money
may take care of some of your student debt
there is no amount of money that will forgive you
placing a price on your spirit, soul and possibly freedom.
Step 6:
Just because his children live in the D.R.
doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a family.
Starting over in the U.S. is a privilege the men get to enjoy.
Unknowingly, you may have a woman in the D.R.
suffering because of your joy.
You don’t need that kind of karma in your life.
Step 7:
Do not care about his feelings for they are
as transient as his heart.
Just because his children live in the D.R.
doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a family.
Starting over in the U.S. is a privilege the men get to enjoy.
Unknowingly, you may have a woman in the D.R.
suffering because of your joy.
You don’t need that kind of karma in your life.
Step 7:
Do not care about his feelings for they are
as transient as his heart.
Steps 8-10:
Most importantly, do not engage,
do not engage,
do – not- engage!
If you do, acuérdate:
camarón que se duerme
se lo lleva la corriente.
Most importantly, do not engage,
do not engage,
do – not- engage!
If you do, acuérdate:
camarón que se duerme
se lo lleva la corriente.
Photo above was taken by Mark Anthony Vigo, fellow poet
unless otherwise noted-all content and photography in all of the website was authored & captured by Sydney Valerio
all rights reserved 2018
unless otherwise noted-all content and photography in all of the website was authored & captured by Sydney Valerio
all rights reserved 2018