Tag Archives: social commentary

Latino/a Poets

Snow on Port-au-Prince: A Dirge

Snow on Port-au-Prince: A Dirge

by Ines P. Rivera-Prosdocimi

Snow covers Port-au-Prince.
At dawn, you cover the trees, the eyelids and lips
of the sleeping and those who wait.
The neighborhood priest lies quietly; a mob fights
over him, over his arms fixed and crossed over
his chest. His purple mouth holds the names
of their dead. And the concrete crucifix still sits,
a black monument within the rubble. There will be
more bodies to burn and bury. This one is
one more. Don’t be afraid of death, Anna sings.

Papa repeats Haitians have always had dignity.
They are not ashamed of being black
like most Dominicans. At dawn, Papa sits rocking
before the TV, my god, my god, as a boy
spreads his arms to the sun; his snow covered limbs.
The neighborhood priest lies quietly; a mob fights
for his soul. In the Caribbean we bury our dead
quickly, knowing coffins don’t preserve a thing.
Don’t be afraid of death, Anna sings.

Snow dust covers Port-au-Prince.
At Dawn, you cover us. You cover
our bodies and rest in our mouths. You cover
our babies. You cover our concrete castles
now fallen, and our streets. You bury
our playgrounds, and our children’s children.
You bury the orange of the flamboyan trees,
and all of the colors that are Haiti. And you cover
this holy man we cannot burn or bury,
and so we sing his name. Don’t be afraid
of death, Anna sings and sings. Brothers,
the body is still, the soul in our mouths.

(2018)

Used by permission of the author.
Latino/a Poets

Unbound

Unbound

by Shakira R. Perez

In this life, there is no room for me.
No room for dark skin, tangled hair and romantic accents.
No room for bedroom eyes, infectious laughter and bare shoulders.
No room for spiritual warriors, coconut shells and omens.
No room for brujeria, palo santo and mal de ojo.
No room for the rogue, rebellious or the raunchy.

So you set rules.

Because you are afraid.

Afraid that even the darkest skin will emit the brightest light.
Afraid that your husband will lose himself in my magic
Afraid that I am protected by ancestral blessings and an army of angels.
Afraid that I will make you see yourself for who you really are
Afraid that what you despise about me is what you wished you loved about yourself.

So you cage me in and limit the sky.
But little do you know that within this cage,
I am free.

Free
to dream of galaxies and supernovas,
  to remember that I was chosen,
    to heal from others and heal myself,
      to seek God’s face,
        to live.

You can’t contain me.

I am too much for this world.

(2021)

Used by permission of the author.
Jupiter Hammon

An Address to the Negroes in the State of New York

“An Address to the Negroes in the State of New York” (1786)

by Jupiter Hammon

At the age of 76, Hammon delivered this speech to a group of free and enslaved Black individuals at the founding meeting of the African Society in New York City. In it, he does not call for immediate emancipation but urges younger generations to pursue spiritual freedom and prepare for eventual liberation. He states that in heaven, there would be no judgment based on race or status, offering a hopeful vision of justice that deeply resonated with his audience. 

This address became one of his most widely circulated works. It was printed and shared by abolitionist groups including the New York Quakers and the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery, increasing Hammon’s visibility across the Northeast. This  is Hammon’s most powerful critique of slavery and vision for freedom.

Continue reading An Address to the Negroes in the State of New York →

Lydia Huntley Sigourney

Indian Names

Indian Names

by Lydia Sigourney

“How can the Red men be forgotten, while so many of our states and territories, bays, lakes and rivers, are indelibly stamped by the names of their giving?”

YE say they all have pass’d away,
That noble race and brave,
That their light canoes have vanish’d
From off the crested wave
That mid the forests where they roam’d
There rings no hunter’s shout;
But their name is on your waters,
Ye may not wash it out. Continue reading Indian Names →

Charles Dudley Warner

Backlog Studies (Excerpts)

Backlog refers to the large piece of wood that supports the fire in a large fire place (and therefore lasts longest). In the beginning of the book, Warner expresses his fear that fireplaces are going out of style with the introduction of new technologies for heating homes and that the important things that happen around fireplaces are also destined to disappear, namely conversations with family and neighbors and the contemplation and reflection that fireplaces inspire. The book is a “study” or demonstration of the conversation that fireplaces inspire. Continue reading Backlog Studies (Excerpts) →

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Harriet Beecher Stowe

Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Chapters 40, 41, 45

These are the final chapters and the climax of the novel. 

CHAPTER XL

The Martyr

“Deem not the just by Heaven forgot!
Though life its common gifts deny,—
Though, with a crushed and bleeding heart,
And spurned of man, he goes to die!
For God hath marked each sorrowing day,
And numbered every bitter tear,
And heaven’s long years of bliss shall pay
For all his children suffer here.” BRYANT.[1] Continue reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Chapters 40, 41, 45 →

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