Mulatto
Por César Vargas 

Open your eyes you are neither here nor there
choosing sides is only gonna make you a square
because you don’t fit in anywhere that’s why you’ve become a recluse
and you use any bad experience as an excuse to hide your roots
-come on Cease this is weak, show ’em who the man is-
you come from white conquerers and black queens
son of the Antilles, island of Hispaniola, Quisqueya la bella
progeny of Europe and Africa never forget that
you are not an either or an or you are full of grace being whole
mulatto and all you have the best of both worlds
beautiful and hung what more could you ask for
you remember the whispers of the mestizos 
calling you a dirty negro because you would swoop in on their chick
goddamn nasty swagger as if your dick was trying to balance your body-bagger
just let them know it isn’t your fault they find you irresistible 
and believe you me they have their own issues to deal with-very hypocritical
I remember those days when my great grandmother used to throw us out
her colored great grandkids weren’t welcome at her house because her Spanish ancestry
mixing with morenitos was nothing more to her than a travesty, blasphemy, mediocrity 
but wait? Didn’t she marry the darkest dude in town? The tallest, biggest and blackest dude
who by some joke of nature scared the bejesus out of white folks because he had the blue-est eyes
or maybe greenest, but who cares, perhaps it was something in between that got him in between-her
ha, that is the true nature of your history, hated in public but loved/lusted for in closed quarters
remember when you were in college, yeah thats right, this mulatto is not too dumb to manage
anyway do you recall how the jewish girls would look at you with lust
but they would tell their friends blatant lies of how you disgust-them
your golden brown skin only baffled them because what was up with your hair
why did it curl up, did you perm up, or is nature being just a tad fair and did what it must
mold you into the supreme being with the best of both worlds
beautiful and hung what more could you ask for
A little history lesson, house niggers (yes even in the islands existed) 
had to hum from the kitchen all the way to the house while they carried their masters’ food
so melodic so harmonious but didn’t dare touch it otherwise it was their ass-screwed
because that would’ve been 50 lashes and no food but mama would pass you some’em she cooked
she went off and married another mulatto only to give birth to an array of colorful kids
from the darkest to the whitest, folks would deny they were related because ignorance is like that
and obviously they didn’t pay much mind to science class (domininant-recessive, intermediate, co-dominant, sex-limited, sex linked)
-once again stay on topic, tune it up, you’re losing your touch-
she would treat the light-skin ones better while the dark ones knew better
or so they thought and began to stay out of the sun
hide under the shade because sun rays would only darken their mulatto-ness even more
but I say why, why hide such beautiful skin, awe-inspiring curly springy hair
look at your women, how do you think that caramel skin and those crazy curves came to exist
just remind them who they are and where they came from because they too have lost their way-gone astray
so they go on and date every other “race” except their own because they suffer from a deep rooted identity crisis just like yourself-what? didn’t think I’d bring that up?
don’t you recall that white girl you dated and you got lost in “European” soft
and hard rock and fashion fiascos. What about that morena who had you
humming and singing R&B just like John B? Selective memory? hmm!-
there’s nothing wrong with dating others but why must they deny you
why must they hate you, why must they condemn you and say you’re a player
when everyone knows every race, every creed, every ethnicity has their good and bad share
you tragic mulatto open your eyes you’re not a travesty or a freak of nature-believe
you are just how God meant and wanted you to be, an intermediate, glorious, supreme
beautiful and hung, feisty with criminal curves, what more could you ask for
most wanted baby, we shall rule the world! 

©César Vargas. All rights reserved

---

Born and raised in the Dominican Republic and moving to the States when he was 13, César Vargas has a B.A. in Film Studies from Queens College, CUNY. He’s written over four hundred poems, about one hundred songs, three screenplays and is on preparation to shoot a feature film and two documentaries. He volunteers and donates mostly for causes for Being Latino; Vargas also helps out people in his community in no relation to any non-profit. “I must admit that I am a very controversial writer who few people dislike, but others with an open mind and sense of humor appreciate a lot,” says poet César Vargas for Mink. 

Found out more of César Vargas through his Facebook page or his work on Being Latino. 

---

  

TRUE BORICUA
By George “Urban Jibaro” Torres 

What`s up with you?
Dont get mad at me and say that I’m not down,
Que yo no soy boricua.
Don`t tell me that i don`t represent
When you don`t know what you are representing.
You say i don`t keep it real because my
pants don`t hang low and i choose not to
drink 40`s and smoke blunts
with you on the same corner i saw you on…
The last time i saw you…
When you`re chilling with your people,
you tell them i`m not down and
for once in your life you`re right,
because while you choose to dwell
with your ill fated friends drowning in
ignorance,
I am representing.
I am representing
Borinquen,
that`s right my motherland. Oh you thought
boricua meant puertorican homeboy?
Hold up, let me break down what a
boricua really is. 

A true boricua is one
who learns about his culture,
past and present, embracing it because he knows
he has lost so much already.
He keeps it real by educating himself.
He acknowledges the afrikan shadow of his taino
soul and recognizes the oppression, devastation
and near elimination of his roots.
He can never forget that, but he won`t let
that get in the way of his progress by blaming
the slave masters 500 years later…
He knows it`s time to move on. 

A true boricua knows
his responsibility as a father and mentor to his
children by sharing lifetime experience
and giving them mental strength.
A true boricua sees
the ills and faults of his own people and
understands that only through unity,
education and caribeño family
values is he going to be able to teach
his children not to represent ignorance
and be tolerant of the mental ploys that
have kept our tribe
down for so long. 

A true boricua keeps it real
by recognizing the strength, loyalty and
determination of his female counterpart.
He respects the fact that she is,
has and always will be our backbone.
She has kept us together and
taken us so far for so long…
But don`t be surprised she is a natural
born leader. For your information,
taino women were caciques too. 

So you see mi hermano,
being boricua is not about being down, it`s about
elevating yourself to what our people were
before we were attacked, before we were raped
and before we were robbed of our native
toungue, culture
and peace of mind. 

©George Torres. All rights reserved. 

---

 

George Torres aka The Urban Jibaro and I am the man behind Sofrito For Your Soul and half the creative force behind the Capicu Poetry & Cultural Showcase. Sofrito For Your Soul is an online magazine that promotes the evolution of Latino culture in the United States. Our mission is to share the spirit of our heritage through art, fashion, music, dance, traditions,and emerging trends. We strive to offer Latinos a chance to reconnect with their heritage and extend an invitation to other cultures to experience the beauty of everything we have to offer. 

For more on George Torres visit Sofrito for your Soul. 

---

 

¡Comparte con nosotros en Facebook!