Convertida en mujer

Fui rápidamente creciendo
para darme cuenta de que quien soy hoy
es posible no sea yo.
Me tuve que haber perdido
o algo no haber entendido.

Quizás entre el rosado de mi primer cumpleaños
y vestidos con lazos almidonados.
O quizás fue más tarde todavía
cuando ya practicaba con el pintalabios
que mi mama efusivamente me concedía.
Y a todo esto recuerdo me decía:
“las nenas más lindas son femeninas”
“calladita te ves más bonita”
En mi adolescencia adolorida
rellenaba con papel los sostenes,
me embarraba la cara
y sacaba las nalgas.

“Sin maquillaje no salgas de la casa”

“No te vallas a poner gorda como una vaca”

Las inquietudes me llevaban
A maquillarme aunque solo me vea el perro.
A pensar ser gorda sin serlo.
A tenerle terror al vello en el cuerpo.
A peinarme como una artista.
A vestirme como una diosa.
A asistir al gimnasio como religiosa.
A salir siempre bien olorosa.
A visitar constante el estilista.
A romperme los pies con los tacos.
Y a hacerme manicure en las manos.

Entonces me corté las uñas.
Me quité los zapatos incómodos.
Me hice en el pelo una cola.
Me lavé bien la cara.
Me dejé crecer todos los pelos,
me desnudé por completo
y me miré en el espejo.

Y me encontré.

Clinton Our Suga' Mama

“Is Puerto Rico on the Pacific?” Michelle Obama asked her husband this morning.
“No honey. It’s in the Gulf of Mexico.” Responded Barack as he continued to sip his Starbucks coffee and read his New York Times.

It comes to no surprise to learn that Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primaries yesterday in Puerto Rico. The Clintons spent much more time on the island than the Obamas. They never grew tired of eating arroz con habichuelas, holding press conferences, dancing salsa, and making promises to Puerto Ricans. Despite my discontent with the whole electoral process on the island, I must sincerely congratulate the Senator. She did a wonderful job at successfully convincing the electorate that if elected president she would address many issues of extreme importance to the island, among them the “problem of the status.” In other words, she would allow for Puerto Ricans to determine and decide how to resolve our current colonial status. Perhaps more importantly, she promised to help PR come out of its economic slump, and said to try to allow PRcans the right to vote in presidential elections.

Less than half a million people, much less than expected, woke up this morning to participate in the so-called democratic process. People cast their vote for a variety of reasons. All of them full of hope that these primaries would put Puerto Rico on the map. Who’s map? I’m not really sure. Marta Martinez, after voting said, “Now that the candidates have been to Puerto Rico, they have seen the problems and the necessities we have here. The expectations now are for them to keep their promises” (El Nuevo Dia).

Another headline today for El Nuevo Dia reads “Promises that might not be kept”. I wonder why this very short article waited until the day after the elections to get published. Does anyone actually think any presidential candidate in the near future will address any of our problems? Come on! Wake up and smell the coffee, the Puerto Rican kind!

Check out what our governor had to say, “I congratulate Senator Clinton for her victory today, but the real winner these primaries in Puerto Rico was the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico – Estado Libre Asociado- because both of the pre-candidates made strong compromises with Puerto Rico.” I guess the governor didn’t smell the coffee, much less had a cup. Click here

Don’t judge me wrong, I cast my vote in Missouri a couple months ago but for different reasons. I didn’t vote for what the candidates “said” they were going to do about Puerto Rico. I voted for their platforms in the US, things that actually matter to them, things they will get done: the war, education, economy, and immigration.

We are not the winners, the low turn out of people to the ballots today proves that most Puerto Ricans woke up, smelled the coffee, drank it, and then went to the beach.

PS: Picture credit: El Nuevo Dia newspaper. Taken during the Independence Party protest to the elections. These people had a LOT of strong black coffee.