Art

Melinda González, PhD

my daughter dances
all baby she once was
banging drums with ancestral knowledge

she points her feet – en pointe
taps her toes – a hip hop
pops her back to perrear
she calls that twerking
a synonym for freedom

my daughter wears her hair
a glorious fro
curls bouncing
salsa-ing across her shoulders
saying, aqui no hay pelo malo
solo cabello descolonizado
a whole dark brown crown

my daughter sings
a crescendo undulating
echoing through apartment walls
declaring ownership over her voice
she bellows, rages, releases
she shall not be silenced

my daughter paints
imagines worlds beyond my own
designs a future better than this
teaching me
holding me
honoring me

my daughter questions
wants to know
to understand
all the while she molds
making me anew