Titan spirit in a five foot frame,

she yelled “Adopt me!

We’d be great together.

America, you tossed salad,

I know about the hidden wilted brown bits,

the croutons made damp with tears,

and that the rich dressing can’t always cover up

some of the bad tastes left in your mouth.

But I also know how lucky I am

to be able to stand on your shores

and tell you, ‘I see you and still want to be here’.

I want to add my words to your song.

I want to sing with duende

about an imperfect place

still struggling towards a more perfect union.

I’ll love you in the struggle

dance my part in the center of the storm

and let my words send storms dancing on their own.

I’ll be the sazón in my part of the salad.

Song Choice: My Shot from the play Hamilton





orgullo = pride
duende = originally referring to a diminutive goblin or dwarf-like creature in folk stories, it has grown to refer to passionate and/or inspired performance of some artistic endeavor
sazón = it can be translated as seasoning, but there's a bit more to it than that.

This piece is the result of a combination of two prompts: Imaginary Garden's With Real Toads, Artistic Interpretation - Immigrant Portraits and A Dash of Sunny's Prompt Nights, Through the Eyes of a Friend.