I Am

From the Andes and the Amazon rainforest,
and from the sands of SoFi.
A mountain girl in the magic city,
bred with frijoles, sancocho and Burger King.
A speaker of romance whose tongue
becomes a contortionist -
Erre con erre cigarro, erre con erre barril.
Roll your tongue, mija, ole, niña.
A gringa among my people;
a Latina among my people.
Confused for a stranger.
Across two continents, and two
languages, one woman,
mother,
daughter
lover.
A hyphen in an unhyphenated world.
A Paisa and Miamian born in Queens,
who celebrates Noche Buena with
buñuelos and natilla
then spends Christmas morning
unwrapping Santa Claus, Kris Kringle,
Father Christmas, El Niño Dios.
My father used to say in Latin,
de gustibus et coloribus non disputatum,
but we still argued
about the colors of our people.
My mother’s daughter,
a pseudo- perfectionist
who dreams of the Louvre and the Seine
while moving to Cumbia and Vallenato.
My mother’s mother and father’s father;
all the greats in one solitary shape.
Colombia patria querida.
America the beautiful.

© 2009 Alexandra Penaloza Alessandri