He was a man, like all the rest,
or so my mamma said.
The violet and green that decorate my body,
a sign of his devotion and affection and nothing more.
Or so my mamma said.
He was a man, like all the rest,
a sign of his devotion and affection and nothing more.
The stabbing, crawling of my flesh, a reflection of his love.
He was a man, like all the rest,
with fists in place of open palms.
The stabbing crawling of my flesh, a reflection of his love.
When he raped me, when he beat me,
a reflection of his love and nothing more.
I
In Opposition of Poetic Tradition: A Poet’s Guide to Transcending Eurocentricity
Bianca Alyssa Pérez shows us in this essay how poets Laurie Ann Guerrero, Audre Lorde, and Gris Muñoz use free verse, personal experience, and linguistic subversion to challenge and transcend Eurocentric poetic traditions.
