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