‘Hispanic Heritage Month’ Student Poetry

Megan Mosquera/Contributing Writer

I was born in Miami, yet, I have always identified as Colombian. When someone asks me where I’m from, I declare my ethnicity with pride.  In Miami we enjoy diversity and understand that our origin country means something more to us. We each have different backgrounds and we celebrate the history of that country, whether or not they were born in that Latin America or Spanish-speaking country.

I love my heritage.  But that doesn’t exempt me from experiencing confusion as a person of Hispanic descent.

Because when I look at my skin color, I don’t understand how dark or light skinned I am.

Years ago, I took a standardized test.  One of the boxes used to verify my identity offered two bubbles: black or white. That was all that was in that section: the word “Race” with those two bubbles underneath it.  

Black or White.

No grey scale in sight.  With that, I looked at my hand holding that pencil, and I felt doubt not only on how to answer, but as to who I was.

I see my bold eyebrows when I look at myself in the mirror. Sometimes I wish to know how others see me, too. I can never tell for myself how my skin color differentiates me from them.

I want to know where I fall on the spectrum.

When I started wearing makeup, it was challenging to pick a foundation. There were various that came close to my skin tone, especially the warm tones.  It seemed that every time someone else did my make-up, they used a different foundation shade.

I may never understand how others see me, but I am starting to understand how I perceive myself.  As a Latina I try to exist naturally but I know that my color does cause ripples and influences on how others view me.  Humans are curious creatures, after all, wishing to label everything. Everything.

There are things about myself that I can see clearly.  My confident personality is first. I know the shape of my eyes and the way the pupil blends with the iris. How straight my eyebrows are. I know that my cupid’s bow at the top of my lips is deep and I know for sure, I have very large cheeks.

I like these things about myself.

What I love best about being Colombian is that it has given me a real interpretation of: my lips, my eyes, my curves.  Me.  And I can smile at the reflection in the mirror. 

 

Soy del sol que toca las montañas

Por las mañanas.

Vengo de la tierra firme y caliente

Y los ríos suaves y tranquilos.

De pequeños bosques detrás de fincas

Con las vacas que aruñan para una acaricia.

 

Soy del sol que toca las montañas

Por las mañanas.

Pero cuando miro a mi color de miel

Es transparente,

Y no se como me ven.

 

Soy más oscura que la leche

Y más clara que el café.

No se como me ven.

Lo unico que se por seguro es que,

 

Soy de las montañas

Por las mañanas.

Las que dicen que te aman.

 

Megan Mosquera is a contributing writer at PantherNOW.  She is also the author of fashion column EyeCandy.  The views and opinions expressed in her poetry do not reflect that of  FIU Student Media’s editorial board.