Where I Am From

 

I am from the unknown in what’s known.

Roots for many simply ignored.

Sky blue and white,

A quetzal1  to even them right.

Often lost in the tri-color2  light

 

I am from a single room apartment

Forced by life into a four roomed home.

Here, danger is prevalent
 I am from
A tradeoff between peace and crime

Bizarre how it took a toll on my life

A motivation to strive.

I am from a community of chismes3

And telenovelas4

To gunshots and drugs

I am a mix of cultures

Childhood and adolescence

 

I am from Guatemala

I am from the United States

I am from Berendo

I am from Weigand

From imaginary borders5

And divided communities

 

I am from the hardships and experiences.
Broken and
Rebuilt.
 

 

 

1: A type a bird, going extinct and found in Guatemala and is at the center of the Guatemalan flag.

2:Tri-color. Often a reference to the Mexican flag that has three distinct colors. In this case it refers to the Mexican culture and heritage.

3:Chismes, Spanish word for gossip.

4: Telenovelas are soap operas
5: “Imaginary borders” a notion first revealed by Professor Jordan Smith