I am still drowning on the same waters
My people canoed in, too.
The salt burning my eyes, my throat.
Fire in my chest as the chains weigh me
Down as I sink in the slave ships,
Despite the hundreds of years
Spanned between this body
And generations worth of trauma.
Bones and spirit broken
As they came to rape us,
Beat and break us,
Mold Taino into Latino.
Ancestor blood searing my veins,
Memories of pain screaming
To remember our roots run deep,
No matter how hard they try to cut
Us down.
CM.Cancel is a queer, Latinx writer. They’re based out of New York, currently working on a novel and poetry chapbook. When they aren’t lost in their writing, you can find CM either curled up with a book or exploring the outdoors with their husband. CM has been published in 14Poems, Before I Leave Zine, and Headline Poetry & Press. You can find them on Instagram @cm.cancel.