Borderlands
To live in the borderlands means you
Walk the earth with a hyphenated existence
Neither here nor there,
With memories of the motherland disappearing year after year
And replaced by colors of red, white, and blue
To live in the borderlands means knowing
The language of your Lola
But not being able to speak it back to her -
You makes noses bleed as your mother tongue
Is replaced by the American dream
Cuando vives en la frontera
You must calm down your mind
Stop your heart from beating out of your chest
As you stand amongst a group of people whose eyes you can’t look at
For fear that they might hurt you
To live in the borderlands means to
Replace pork, beef, chicken, and fish with tofu
Even if you crave your mother’s dishes,
Even if it’s what connects you to home -
You build your own home now, your own future
Where you love both your mothers
Living in the borderlands means you fight hard to
Keep yourself afloat in a sea of ignorance
And to find your voice so others don’t have to be silent -
You put that pen to that paper,
And point that camera to those in the shadows
To live in the borderlands means
You are aware of the eyes on your back
As you hold your white partner’s hand;
Ashamed of the desires in your mind
And afraid of saying the word, “girlfriend”
To survive in the borderlands
You must play along to a game that wasn’t built for you -
You smile, suppress, and nod along in silence;
You try to protect yourself
To thrive in the borderlands
Means you learn to beat them in their own game;
Where you live a life that honors those who came before you and those after you -
A life where you use your pain to create beauty,
A life where you’re finally at peace with yourself.