Jancelly Pineda
My Mother
My mother from El Capotillo in Dominican Republic
1 of 6 Kids
1 of 3 Girls.
My mother java en su piel.
Mujer con crespos
‘Pelo tan malo!’
My grandmother probably said
PERM
PERM
PERM
BLEACH and RELAX
& that’s how DNA gets erased
From those pretty coils.
Trauma’s engraved in my genetic information
Do you know a Dominican Mother?
MY MOTHER
Separated from her mother
by a Yola
Separated
by histories atrocities
‘A landless peasant
Moving to cities abroad
Like San Juan’
-One history book said.
My mother’s mother,
My grandmother
Was a commerciante in el mercado
Dona Francisca, they used to call her
She had six kids
& gave away two.
She left behind four
In el patio
To go to la isla
Searching, chasing, and, seeking
El sueno americano
Hustling & Sweating
Like a true immigrant
My mother’s mother
My grandmother
Migrated her children to a new beginning
Her 4 pollitos, she would call them
Thrown in an isla
That’s a neighbor to their isla
From DR to PR
From PR to NY
The life of the immigrant
The life of my mother
And her mother,
Was it el sueno they found?
Or the perming, bleaching and
Relaxing with erasure of their DNA
With every hustle and sweat
The heritage diminishes
Do you know a Dominican Mother?
No Pida Rosa
Le pides a su alma
Que floresca, como rosa
Cual no es,
Marchita si
El sol amanece por el este
Y tu esperas que el alma
Sobreviva con solo vista al oeste
Injusto en tu juzgo
Caminas sin empathia
Mientras tus pasos marchitan
Todavía aun mas los pétalos caídos
Le pide a su alma
Que florezca, como rosa
Cual no es,
Marchita si
No giras hacia atrás
Ni si quiera para ver
Para ver lo catastrophico
Que fue tu presencia
Sigues tu camino
Con escusa de un alquimista
El que no te guía, ni Santiago
Joven y perdido fue tan bobo e ignorante
Le pides a su alma
Que florezca como rosa
Cual no es, marchita si
Sin piedad rechazas tu viscio
De ceguedad hacia la triste realidad
De esa fantasía de mal amor
Casi te graduas de masoquista
Le pides a su alma
Que florezca como rosa
Y cuando finalmente lo hace
Tu no aguantas las espinas.
Bio
Jancelly Pineda: “I am an artist based in the Bronx, born in Queens and raised in a Dominican household with Puerto Rican roots and a Colombian father. Complex. Growing up in the Bronx has shaped my perspective on life and accessibility. Poetry and photography have helped me navigate this & share with my audience the different experiences that come with being a mixed Latina, Lesbian, and a Bronxite in our world (within and without the USA.) In both of my art mediums I continue to revisit the themes of memory, identity, and family. These themes are highly important in relation to memory work. Documenting is what drives my creativity. Our history, that of myself and my community, is perceived and experienced in two different ways. I write in hope to influence those around me to do the same. Memoirs, whether in writing, photographs, or in motion, will tell our story 100 years from now to future generations. While backpacking through Asia and South America I was exposed to things taught in history books or things unreal to my Bronxite mind. I have found a joy in preserving these experiences through the many pages of journals and the memory of SD cards. All of which I want to give back to my community to witness with me. I invite those who surround me, to pick up the pen, or the lens. It's never too late to tell a story; our story.”
IG: Pfotojelly