Estoy aprendiendo a hablar español.  Este es mi primer poema en español, así que si usted, por favor, perdona mis errores. 

Esta es mi familia:
somos
abuelito y niño
mujer y hombre
moreno y güera
sangre y agua
hermana y hermano

Esta es mi familia:
somos
poetas y músicos
maestros y estudiantes
activistas y visionarios
líderes y seguidores
pensadores y trabajadores

Esta es mi familia:
somos
rotos e intacto
desesperación y esperanza
dolor y alegría
los perdidos y los encontrados
carnal y espiritual

¡Aquí está mi familia!

*Dedicated to my Tia Chucha’s community

…

Last night I read this poem at the open mic I attend every Friday.  I was soooooo nervous, this being my first poem in not my native tongue and reading it in front of a room full of native Spanish-speakers.  But then I remembered what the poem was about and I chilled out.  I stumbled on a few words, but I was so warmly received and affirmed it was just an exquisite experience.  I wrote the poem initially in Spanglish…most of it actually came out of me en español so I then had about 1/3 to translate.  My friend Horacio graciously helped me with some of the grammar and pronunciation; muchas gracias!!

The translation loosely reads:

“I am learning to speak Spanish.  This is my first poem in Spanish so if you would, please forgive my mistakes.”

This is my family:
we are
grandfather and child
woman and man
brown and blond
blood and water
sister and brother

This is my family:
we are
poets and musicians
masters and students
activists and visionaries
leaders and followers
thinkers and laborers

This is my family:
we are
broken and together
despair and hope
grief and joy
the lost and the found
flesh and spirit

Here is my family.