As the campus community celebrates Black History Month and the contribution of Black culture, art and literature in our society, we take a moment to recognize the talents and contributions of our own students of color. Enjoy Verbal Blend Poet Anne Fernandez’s ’22 works entitled “Dominicana” and “Stuck in Between.”
“Dominicana”
In high school I coined the term Afro-Latina
Not knowing what it meant growing up
Thinking it was only for Black Latinos
But Honey these spirals in my hair
My Black Dominican grandmother
That don’t come from white descendants
Although if you were to ask her if she’s black
My abuela with eyes and skin as brown as sweet Dominican coffee
Would straight up say, “claro que no, esta loca?”
See if I’m being honest
In the Dominican Republic
Passing as white is seen as a privilege
In that way you don’t have to be mistaken for an Haitiano
The greatest insult before being mistaken for a Puerto Rican
Proud of our culture
But not enough
By Anne Fernandez ’22, College of Visual and Performing Arts
“Stuck in Between”
Everytime I try and explain myself
I can’t
Can’t because I get stuck between the conjugations
La palabras of mi y tú
Or is it usted?
I feel like I’m on a rocky bridge
Constantly trying to balance itself between Spanish and English
A frog leaping from a lily pad of ums to yo no sé
Yo no sé como explicarte que yo estoy pensando
Me toqeo y me frustro cuando no sé como decir una palabra
I know this in English but how the hell do I translate it to Spanish?
Odio que no lo puedo hablar suavemente como ustedes
Lo hablo apaso
Cada segundo pensando en como lo voy a decir
I feel like my parents don’t understand my quirkiness because it’s rooted in English
A language they have yet to learn
Their tongue in a sword battle with the letter “e”
Everytime they want to say a word that starts with an “s”
“E” school
“E” strawberry
By Anne Fernandez ’22, College of Visual and Performing Arts
