“A Message To Latinas, Remastered”

She gets on stage,
Powerful, omnipotent, nervous, fragile
She stands behind the mic
Calling for attention,
That which is already hers
Cautioning that she might use terse language
An audience already accustomed to the curses of a million lives
She stands there, reading off her crumpled paper
Reciting a life’s work worth its weight in the wait
A significant time
Not from the beginning of the show to her set
But from the beginning of her life to the motivation to put these thoughts on a sheet
Or the time the women of her kind before her
Voiced similar struggles
With picks and gel to hot combs and curling irons
The natural bearers of human life’s fruit
Reminded physically every 28 days of a 10-month period
She should have the choice to embark on
She’s the loud lion’s lioness,
The million unrecognized members of the largest movements we recognize
The curves to a man’s rigidity
The sweet to our tart
The muscle we don’t see in our mesodermal layers
The inspiration of our creativity
The thoughts behind the words of this scribe
Whose only task is to observe the Latinas
So decorated in their accomplishments
So invigorating in their candor
Emotional multitaskers slighted by sexist views
Willing to change those in not-so-quiet ways
And she gets off the stage,
Her words speak to the people,
Ripping at the idea of politeness in the name of effective communication
Of her needs, wants, desires,
The good, the bad, and the undiscussed
And all we have to do is watch and listen
Let her speak her piece
The soundwaves of the million unrecognized oft become familiar …

Jose Vilson, © 2008

jose, who is often inspired by those who seek inspiration from him …