My Block Is My Own

The Universe is contained Not in a unlimited vast space But in the street in front of my yard My universe is magnificent Blackholes in stomachs and cyclones of tortillas with mantiquilla Salsa so spicy, young ladies so feisty flirting with men over fences Watching Sunsets over mountains and waiting for the street lamps to Switch and brighten the night Little kids running around dripping ice cold Cream to heal the cracks Wounds and aches of the barrio I say I’ll never leave But if I did then it’ll be to devote back To the bones that made me hustle Struggle, all in the care of a family Brothers and Sisters, Fathers and Mothers I thank thee This hip-hop, won’t stop, running though my veins I could sway to the music of the streets all night With the window open and letting Southwestern air soak into my skin To the beauty within We shall win, all the games That matter because it is my culture Basketball, scraped knees Barbeques and tamales Profusions of colliding emotions Broken hearts and soothed souls All over my nana’s best bowl of Menudo I could laugh to tears about memories I learned more sitting outside listening to the wind Rustling though the leaves Then in a classroom outside of the streets and blocks I keep my own, I learn Listening to the Nana’s speak softly Feeling the soul of my people wash over Feeding me with stories, life, intensity Hopes and dreams That are passed onto generations The courage to strive and become Our own makers Here I stand, ready to give To what was given to me