0130_Poesía Chicana/Latina_T.N.R. (The Nueva Raza)

The nueva raza
often does not look
like raza.
In most cases un compósito
de razas, hair rubio con red-
brown, freckles, lunares,
pale skin that tans
mejor que pensarías, esta muchacha no se quema
en el sol. That’s more than you’d think
that white-girl skin
 would tan. High cheekbones
y hablamos con un vernacular of eeeeeeeeeee, tssssss
and heybro. Quick hitch of the neck: the raza wave.
By high school even the principal was doing it.

Call us coyote if you want.
A veces we talk Spanish
but we casi siempre understand
casi todo, and our accent?
Nearly perfect. Watch us shock
the ancianos who aren’t used to white people
talking Spanish.

The nueva raza is growing,
unidos en la confusión.
Messed up and knowing it.
Willing to talk about it, say
hey, know me. I’m two in one.
Buy one, get one free. ¿Comprendes?