An Immigrant Mother’s Monologue on Dominican Republic’s Día de la Independencia // 02-27-24
How do I make sure she knows I learned to roll my rrrrr’s before I ever said, “Hello?” How do I make sure she realizes she has two red, white, and blue flags to call her own? How do I make sure she loves this land of the brave and the free, and also mi tierra, where cayenas burst in color and mangos weigh down trees? How do I make sure she learns about a culture not yet hers? That there is this country on half an island, colocado en el mismo trayecto del sol. Where the warm winds sway in a merengue with the shore. Where people laugh in español. Where half of her (yo) was born. And how do I remind myself that it’s ok if I also want to be part of los dos? - r.e.g
Spanish to English word index:
Mi tierra. My land/my country.
Cayenas. Hibiscus flower.
Colocado en el mismo trayecto del sol. “Placed on the sun's trajectory,” a famous line from Pedro Mir’s poem about the Dominican Republic—Hay un país en el mundo. (https://www.poemas-del-alma.com/pedro-mir-hay-un-pais-en-el-mundo.htm) Fun fact: Pedro Mir is the DR’s national poet.
Merengue. The national dance of the Dominican Republic.
Español. Spanish.
Yo. Me/myself.
Los dos. Both.
Me encanto ❤️🇩🇴❤️🇩🇴
Lovely! I would love more of your work to be published so others can see, read, and experience their beauty <3