A poem by Alondra S. Candelario.
We are invincible
A land no longer ours as we roam in
Bougie cars.
broke down Hondas
We talk about parties we went to
baggy jeans to match our hollow bellies
pockets full of riches and desire
cruising down our boulevard,
its alleyways our playgrounds,
our government homes lie behind it all
recklessly gliding through the boulevard
we chant lyrics at passing cars
people on the sidewalk stop and stare
they bask in secondhand glory
shadows are what we are
small slivers unable to escape destiny
Striding in the best shoes money could buy
tumbling into what we please
acting like gods on the street
...because we are gods.
We zoom past the
99¢ store,
liquor stores,
signs in Spanish
& as we finally pass
the N. 23 Fillmore freeway entrance
we are finally back
We walk to our liquor stores
They accept EBT
We visit local mercados
for familiarity
back to what is ours, to what we know
keeping our city alive
we are the city’s ambrosia and nectar
we have nothing but the Oaks Mall
we are treated as nothing
as we make our way down
we see a couple of local thugs
stopped by cops
our daily stop n’ frisks
as evidence
ass on concrete
as if Hades isn’t expecting us
We will never be stopped by mortal law.
but he has already claimed us.
Biography:
I’m a Chicana from Southern California that somehow ended up in Maine and grew to love this place. My poetry is autobiographical and has issues of social justice, love for my hometown and elements of my personality interwoven into every stanza.