Discontinuity (for Melisa Garcia)

No one can take this from us

no one

Nunca

Tu mama y my moms luchaban todas sus vidas so I suppose.

I suppose that means we should be grateful but … I'm committed to my truth.

Truth that good people teach lessons with piggyback rides to libraries and

tender lectures on heritage and hope, and with the

backs of their hands and "your a worthless piece of shit".

But feel lucky,

That backhand could have been a fist and those words a green switch and

We could have been raised in our native lands, where

you can count a child’s age by the radius of her callouses and

where a pedicab is a steady job and the queens english is a wormed out peach

I suppose that means I should be thankful. But I’m committed to our truth

That hood schools had classrooms with no teachers and teachers with no books and

15 buys Newports, 16 buys you blunts , 17 buys 18-Dummy,  and 18

trades that diploma for makin’ sure pops don’t choke in his sleep.

But I’m privileged,

I could have been hatched in ignorance that finds hope in shadows and see’s

dreams on distant shores and

those slaps and kicks and pangs and teeth … gnashing … taught that

their love hurts more than their god loves, and

I search for love that don’t bruise even though, everyday, I come back with welts.

Tu mama y my moms luchaban todas sus vidas so we never will,

but we do

and no one can take that from us

Nadie

never