By Jaelyn Decena
My name is Jaelyn Decena, and I’m a third year transfer student majoring in Literature and Writing Studies, and I plan to pursue a career in the film industry. I created my “found poem” based on an excerpt from Know My Name by Chanel Miller. I chose her memoir because sexual assault is a real issue in our world. It happens to too many women, and Chanel Miller’s story of healing, growing, and acceptance is a story that’s inspirational to many, including me.
By Sonya Vargas
When I reflect on intersectionality
I am exposed to my reality
Of oppression, as well as privilege
For so long I’ve been blind, but it wasn’t deliberate
Mindlessly checking the boxes
Of the categories that society has indoctrinated
Telling me what to believe
To follow a certain congregation
To the point where I began—questioning God
Oh my gosh– it’s happened
They labeled me Hispanic
And I don’t understand it
Mexican pride and power
Light up the sage
’Til it burns the Trump towers
Mental and physical cages
FREE MY PEOPLE
Cuando no hay machismos
The divided states- they run your plates
See a brown body behind the wheel
They squeal– HANDS UP
Raise your hand to ask a question
Claiming a degree in my possession
Will end my economic oppression
And so, I listen.
But I feel like something is missin’
My faith brings me to stillness
Legs crossed, so lady-like
But only at the ankles
I’m interlocked
And I’m twisted and I’m tangled
I’m more than an able body
Light on the melanin
Balancing energies
The masculine and the feminine
-Cisgender-
But my spirit is the real cause for splendor
Redefined, unlabeled
I put my cards on the table
I call a bluff on the hegemony
I can sense there’s more to life
Than what they’re selling me
Quote on quote “top dog” is far from clueless
On the oppression they’re producing
Rape culture and mass shootings
Subordinate focused
When the dominant have spoken
But they won’t get the last word
It’s our time to speak
We choose words with fluidity
Because their talk is Bleak.
Sonya Vargas is a Social Science student approaching her senior year, currently enrolled in WGSS 101 and WGSS 330. She is a San Diego-born writer who finds inspiration in the taboos of life and the simple things. ½ of up-and-coming rap and humanitarian duo Good Food Fellowship that focuses on using their gifts to give back to the community and spread love through their message, conveying empowerment through radical self-acceptance.
