POETRY
7:45 am, East Hampton MS, Fall, 2018
A poem about otherness and memories.
1 min readAug 6, 2020
The Principal recites the loaded words,
To me, they’re foreign —
Pledges and allegiances are not invoked in Puerto Rican classrooms;
Outside, leaves change their tune
(note to Self: green is evanescent),
They cling to fractal boughs,
Eating the last rays of a Summer only WASPS can afford to enjoy.
Today, I account for each word,
Dispelling the accent as much as possible;
My left hand on my right pec,
Always justice before liberty —
The former is lacking, the latter is warped.