Tag: Mariana Llanos

November Ninth

By Mariana Llanos

November ninth, two thousand sixteen—
deception slowly, painfully sinking in.
I open my white French blinds; I look around
the cul-de-sac, the well-kept middle class
homes bounding mine.
I imagine neighbors still sleeping in,
not caring, not concerned what would be next
for some of us.
I wonder if all those times we spoke—
me, in my dark skin and thick accent,
them, in their whiter than pearls whiteness—
they thought this is where I belonged
or if they saw me as a foreigner,
a stranger,
a taker.
“Paranoid, paranoid,” I tell myself.
No. I refuse to think the worst of people,
even in a one hundred percent red state.
My children run in, worried faces;
they can’t believe what happened the night before.
Fear blasts like fire from their eyes.
“You’ll be fine,” I say. “You’re citizens, you’ll be fine.”
“What about you?” asks the oldest.
I sigh. I don’t know the answer, but I tell him,
“I’ll be fine, too.”
When I’m alone,
tears flow, like a child’s, without control.
Confusion plunges deep in my brain.
Fear aches in my stomach. It is hard to breathe.
“I’ll be fine,” I say wiping my tears,
picking myself up from the floor,
like I’ve done so many times before.
But I can’t help thinking about the guy—
the guy in the business suit, years ago,
when I was a waitress at a fancy restaurant—
the guy who walked by my side and whispered,
“Go back to Mexico.”
No one heard, while I stood frozen.
I thought of this guy, and knew
that today, he had won.

 

Mariana Llanos is a Peruvian-born writer and poet. She has published eight children’s books. Her new work, Luca’s Bridge, is the story of a family who is deported to Mexico; it will be published in the Spring of 2018 by Penny Candy Books. Mariana studied Drama in her native Peru. She lives in Oklahoma with her three children and her husband. Find out more at www.marianallanos.com.

Also by Mariana Llanos: “Resiste / Resist,” a poem and translation.

Photo credit: Peter Stevens via a Creative Commons license.

Resiste / Resist, a poem and translation by Mariana Llanos

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20px” padding_bottom=”20px” admin_toggled=”no”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ layout=”1_2″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default”]

Resiste

[/fusion_title][fusion_text]

Resiste, hermana, resiste.
Levanta el puño y resiste.
Resiste, hermana, resiste.
Sube la voz y resiste.
Resiste, hermana, resiste.
Eleva la frente y resiste.
Resiste, hermana, resiste.
Hincha el pecho y resiste.
Resiste, hermana, resiste.
Planta los pies y resiste.
Resiste hermana, resiste.
Entrelaza los brazos y resiste.
Resiste, hermana, resiste
Avanza tu cuerpo y resiste.
Resiste, hermana, resiste.
Con puño, con voz, con frente, con pecho,
Con brazos, con pies, con todo tu cuerpo,
resiste.
Resiste hermana, resiste,
Aunque corra tu sangre
Aunque tiemblen tus huesos
Aunque sangre tu alma.
¡Resiste!
Hasta tu último aliento
Hasta tu último paso
Hasta tu último beso.
Hasta que tu sudor se mezcle en el agua.
Hasta que tu puño brille en el cielo.
Hasta que tu grito se oiga en el viento.
Resiste, hermana, ¡resiste!

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ layout=”1_2″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_title hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default”]

Resist

[/fusion_title][fusion_text]

Resist, sister, resist.
Thrust your fist in the air and resist.
Resist, sister, resist.
Raise your voice and resist.
Resist, sister, resist.
Lift your forehead and resist.
Resist, sister, resist.
Bloat your chest and resist.
Resist, sister, resist.
Stomp your feet and resist.
Resist, sister, resist.
Intertwine your arms and resist.
Resist, sister, resist.
Push forward your body and resist.
Resist, sister, resist
With fist, with voice, with forehead, with chest,
with feet, with arms, with all your body,
resist.
Resist, sister, resist.
Even if your blood runs,
Even if your bones tremble,
Even if your soul bleeds.
¡Resist!
Till your last breath,
Till your last step,
Till your last kiss.
Until your sweat blends with the water,
Until your fist shines in the sky,
Until your scream is heard in the wind.
Resist, sister, ¡Resist!

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20px” padding_bottom=”20px”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” hover_type=”none” link=”” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text]

Mariana Llanos is a Peruvian writer, author of seven award-winning children’s books in English and in Spanish. Her first book, Tristan Wolf, was published in 2013. Her newest book, Poesía Alada (poetry in Spanish for young people) will be available in April 2017. She studied Drama in her native Lima. After moving to Oklahoma, she worked as a preschool teacher, standing out for her creativity and passion for arts education. Mariana visits schools around the world through virtual technology to encourage students to read and to spark their love for writing, while building bridges of understanding. Visit her website at www.marianallanos.com.

Reading recommendation: Como Cambiar el Mundo Sin Perdernos /How to Change the World Without Losing Ourselves by Virginia Vargas (1992).

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]