the perfect storm

the perfect storm empties a country of abuelitas padres hermanos mujeres y niños a disaster that doesn't seem so natural waves of wind damaged homes hovering roofs made of tarp if you wanted to take land from a people bent on resisting colonialism insert mcdonalds walmart or the jones act or blame it on a storm of a woman named Maria who grew up in spanish harlem who reminded us of the western story that as the rich are getting richer the poor are getting poorer never mind the wealth that ain't so common under the foot of US force the way loss runs through steep hill sides or rivers swell the veins between vacant towns we blame the thirsty but not the corporations that tax water the shocking doctrines of profit over people exploited tunes and tones of rhythms Taíno for tourists and escapism por la isla de encanta we, we lament the boriquen tongue in power outages of spanglish cursing the companies of settler colonial conditions for the prayers and litanies tears like rosary beads in the sewers of sorrows where fantazma sing from the sore throat blueness of blood the border between refugee and nomad migration is the art of fleeing sad songs for blooming in suitcases la gente fuerte and mourn wondrous we belong we belong to each other before any notion of a nation no one will understand the tangled trues of being from here and nowhere the beaming cocqui that still visits in dreams they wont write us in history if we don't write ourselves the uncle who drowned in coronas and ham sandwiches visions of never playing pro baseball or the aunt who claps the roof of her mouth when she speaks asthmatic and always, always, always high who lost 6 children to the government or abuela who is always working two, three jobs to make up for the guilt of coming to america and how she couldn't face returning to no running water and still there are spirits there are spirits who know every chupacabra has its day it is time it is time it is time it is time it is time it is time for us to take the red fire of our wounds and weapon our mouths toward new movement songs remember remember Campos suffering in silence separated by an ocean, and a language yet still free free in the love of a people fearless and unafraid always always a hurricane it's always a hurricane it's always a hurricane before the grand exodus before the grand exodus the fight for dignity and independence San Ciriaco rattles rattles, rattling in every roar every roar of revision is history pa'lante people pa'lante milagros de movimientos soar soar because if we are to live if we are to live with the fierce force of knowing anything anything that is sacred anything that is sacred is worth fighting for is worth fighting for bienvenido bienvenido a la lucha we are worth fighting for worth, fight worth, fight worth, fight worth, fight worth, fight worth, fight worth, fight worth, fight worth, fight we are worth fighting for the perfect storm always precedes great miracles and we are worth fighting for did you know did you know did you know that you are powerful did you know that you have everything you need that every everything you need is within you that you that you are worth you you you you you you i mean you are worth fighting for and that everything everything you need everything i mean everything everything everything everything you need everything you need is within you that you are so powerful great storms precede great miracles remember that great storms precede great miracles