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Part Four: “Yamaya”

While reading Yemaya, to me it demonstrated her sexuality. The way she feels when she is with someone and sharing that intimate moment together. She writes it as if it was like walking at the beach at night. Very relaxing and calm. Expressing the way that this other person is making her feel. But it seems that at the same time she is not with this person but it’s more of her imagining it all more like a dream than being reality. To me it’s the way she is expressing her sexualiy because of the tone of the poem. On the third stand she says “Let me roar down the marble cliffs of your shoulders varooming into waterfalls--” she tells her what she wants to do with her to share an intimate moment. But then she says “I take you home in a bottle.” “Esta noche sueño contigo” that to me felt like the whole thing wasn’t real but it’s more of she wants it to be that way but for now she just holds her in the bottle.

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Part Four: “How To”

This poem demonstrates the way Gloria Anzaldua thinks about writing and the way she likes to express herself. She doesn’t need to follow some guidelines and she also doesn’t need to do it all the same. Even the way she starts off the poem with having a lowercase f. Later on in the poem it changes the way it's written. There are even bigger spaces between the words she is using. Through this poem she is able to express how she feels about writing and the way it's her form of art. It gave me the sense of “write however you want, just get anything and write”.  You can write about anything, even create a solution to a problem. Like the way that she express her feelings about issues like with her and “lesbian writier”. 

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Part Three: “Identity always under is Construction”

When looking at this image, It made me think about all the times we may need or want to change our identities. We can identify ourselves in so many different ways that we are constantly always changing them or figuring them out. That's why I do believe that our identities are always under construction because we are learning how they are being formed or the way they are constructing them to be unique to us even. You never stop growing and learning, which is why they are under construction for most of the time. Which some already have a solid foundation but does not mean it can not be teared down or molded to be something else.  In the drawing we can see that it says “Breaking down taking apart dismember” which to me that is demonstrating the ways we can break down our identities to truly be able to understand them and understand ourselves a bit better.

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Part Two: “The New Mestiza Nation - Identity crisis”

Identity crisis is something that can and most likely will happen to everyone. It’s interesting the way that Gloria is pointing out the identity crisis as a whole nation. Pointing out the way the education system and other systematic things need to be re identified in a way. It’s about everyone not knowing their identity. While reading this part of the essay I thought about the identity of the nations. We see it minorities and the majority of people, but in reality in a way it's all the same. There may be a lot of different people who identify themselves differently but thinking about it as a whole gives it a different perspective. I liked when she said that depending on who Mestiza was talking or was doing there was more or less work to be done. Treated differently. 

I included this video of Jae-p Ni de aqui ni de alla, because I think this idea of not being from here nor from our origins has to do a lot with identity. Like mestiza, having to prove and show herself as more, doing more. 

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Part Two: “La Vulva es una Herida Abierta”

As I read this, all I could think about was how much suffering she had to go through. Constantly feeling out of place or seen as not being normal. Not having a normal childhood because everyone would look at her differently. The constant reminder of her periods and how she needed to be careful from others.  “La Vulva es una Herida Abierta”

 This to me meant how it's an open wound that will not be able to be healed. She is constantly being wounded by it in the way that she can’t be herself without feeling different because of the way that her body naturally is. She doesn’t want it. It’s an open wound that will always be there. Something so natural to the womens body was seen and felt as an open wound. An open wound that everyone knew about. 

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Part Two: “To(o) Queer the Writer -- Loca, escritora y chicana”

Right from the begging of this essay, the sentence “Lesbian… white middle-class,” stood out to me. When I hear the word lesbian althout in spanish is still the same lesbiana, I always think about two white women being together than a woman of color. And I started to think, well why is that? And the simple answer is the lack of representation and this somewhat taboo thing of talking about sexuality in the latinx community. I am so used to seeing white middle class women being represented as lesbians that I, a bi woman of color, still think about that as two white women. The term “lesbian” wasn’t really in the “chicanx” community. Being called marimach, jotita, lambiscona, are all words that have hate and disgust behind it. And then she talks about being a “lesbian writer” what does that mean and first off why does it need to be included. Other writers are not saying “straight writer”. She can just be a writer and not need to include that she is lesbian as well. That doesn’t change how she writes or values her writing is. 

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Part Two:”The Presence”

While reading this, at first I thought the presence would be her own conscious or her own spirit. Or their true self. When talking about how easy it was to write when that presence was there to me was like their true self coming out because they were able to write without needing much to think about. But then later on it seems like it might be a family member guiding them. While reading this I also thought a lot of that spiritual connection we have to our surroundings. This Presence could have been a spirit guardian. We can only see so much through our eyes, but the presence was much more than just seeing it. 

I included the”Guardian Angel” because even though I am not very religious, this is what I imagined when I was reading the poem. How I was able to relate to it. 

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Part Two: “Del Otro Lado”

While reading this poem, it made me sad. The feeling of not being accepted for what you believe in or for who you are from those you care about the most hurts. Being part of the Latinx Community, we are very family oriented for the most part and it’s difficult to step away from those who don’t accept you. In the poem her own sister and mother were ashamed for who she was. “You’re a jota” you’re gay. I have not come out to my family yet, so this poem made me think about the way that some family members may think of me. Voy haver la del otro lado, I’m going to be the one from the other side. Being pushed away and not feeling fully included in the family that you love, is the way that I think the person from the poem was feeling. Not feeling like what you are going through is as important can be hard. Towards the end of the poem it says how there are other bigger problems than gay rights. 

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Part One: Spirituality, Sexuality and the Body�� 

For this interview I focused a lot when Gloria is talking about her sexuality. As a Chicana/latina women sexuality is seen as something women shouldn't express. Or if they do show it, then they are being called names like “slut”. Being comfortable with your sexuality is okay, women should be able to show it. She talks about the connection her sexuality has on spirituality as well. I relate to that being connected to your spirituality helps expressing your sexuality. To me, those who are very religious aren’t able to express their sexuality the way they deep down would like because of maybe nor feeling as connected. Being more connected to your spirituality (inner self) helps with sexuality expression. Being connected to your body. “Then all the Glorias are connected” When having an orgasm your whole body is connected and it helps you connect with your inner self and spirit. 

I put the video to La Luz by  Kali Uchis, because to me she demonstrates how she is comfortable with her sexuality, connected to her spirituality and even her body. Throughout the video you are able to see all of this.

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Part One: “Reincarnation”

(this is a Snake plant, they don’t need much water to keep growing, they continue to grow without much which is what remined me from this peom.)

I loved reading this poem. it ‘s all about self growth and the ways you change throughout your life. It talks about how snakes are shedding and as they shed they slither to take off the old skin. Moving around is how you grow and are removing your old self from your own body. New skin is forming and you are growing. When the time is right or needed that layer of old skin falls off. And you may do this every year or every so often that is needed. This poem resonated a lot with me in the way that I continue to grow and to find new things of my identity. As I take things off me by moving forward I gain new things and leaving what is not needed anymore. Towards the end of the poem it says “and how many me’s would I slough off before voiding the cor if ever”, to me it doesn’t matter if you do it 100 times or 1000 times you are growing and learning which that is all about reincarnating through your lifetimes. No one should be the same person they were when they were 15 years old to when they are in their 30’s.

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Part One: “To Delia, Who Failed on Principles”

This poem to me is a teacher asking her student in a way for forgiveness. As she was sticking to her principles of being honest, one of her students was not able to graduate. It wasn’t her principles that didn’t allow Delia to pass but the system that she has been placed in. The education system has failed her. This teacher being tired of how the system is going against those who try, she is going against her principles. And letting it be known that all those who will come after Delia she will not follow that principle but a new one. Trying so hard to accomplish something with great principles but what does that do? Nothing. “Four lousy points” was all that needed to happen for someone to not be able to graduate. Those four points did not represent the person this student is.