Ayling Zulema Dominguez
2 Poems
Cry Me a World Without Borders
the americans say Grand
cutting the e off surgically
because they know the sound held in our mouths
means you and me and
they’d rather not two of us
two shades too dark
No shade
covering the river
And it was quiet
as if it knew the rules and practices of hiding
A whiter poet might say it’s impossible to know
where it starts
as if they couldn’t turn to look and follow
the trail of crumbs of our broken hearts
across a body of water
that was once ours
I neared the river
and the thousand
attempts to cross
Caught
in my throat
And a soreness remained
Reminder that choosing to soar
comes not
without pain
and it’s about how much
we can sustain
and let me guess, this is where you expected a brown person
to tell you that in their culture,
there is a saying
but the cold water truth is
all things between us are decaying
despite your most earnest prayings
and tears
so cry me a world without borders
and weaponization of your fears.
Las Condiciones Que No Me Permiten
“En algunos estudios, el tiempo que lleva olvidar a alguien es alrededor de 11 semanas. En otros estudios, el tiempo para olvidar a alguien fue mucho más alto, alrededor de 1 año y medio. Tales diferencias indican claramente que el tiempo necesario para olvidar a alguien depende de varias condiciones.”
Olvidar
Tu rostro en mi espejo
El dolor de espalda por donde me crecen las alas
La cuerda invisible con la que me jalas
Sin querer queriendo, porque el deseo es un privilegio
reservado para las personas que crecieron sin dolor
Ni tu, ni yo
Atrevimiento en las venas
Sangre que corre, sangre que baila
En este cuerpo hecho jaula
Cuerpo que canta a través de mis lágrimas
Buscando mar de orígen
Buscando mar de regreso
Mar de perdón
Porque pa qué más sirve estar de lejos
Sino para revolcarse en el sentimiento
Cerrar la puerta al olvido
Te espero adentro
Y que por el viento
te lleguen mis deseos
Bio
As a poet and mixed media artist in an abolitionist mindset, Ayling Zulema Dominguez pushes at the boundaries of colonial language in an effort to extract and learn from the knowledge and stories forgotten or historically silenced. Their art and speculative poetry dare ask who we are at our most free, and what it might take to arrive there, what narratives we may pull from and ground ourselves in. Their peoples are from Puebla, Mexico and Santiago De Los Caballeros, Dominican Republic. Ayling is currently pursuing an MFA at ASU. Ultimately, they believe in poetry as a tool for liberation.
INSTAGRAM HANDLE: @rhymeswithmean