I found paradise.
Not too far off the main island of Puerto Rico
Small and lush
She found me
Isla Niña
Through her eyes I found peace
She offered grace and beauty in exchange for pain
She embodied the meaning of love
She was pure
Full of innocence
Like a little girl
Craving the fruits of the world
With no concerns about the pests that swarmed it
Like candy she was sweet
Warm to the touch with a heart of gold
I was mesmerized
She told tales of love and power
Making us laugh and dance
As much as she made us think
The beauty she carried was one idolized in pictures
So full of life
The island with a heartbeat
She grounded her roots into all of us
We asked for a story and she gave us her all
We came ready with cameras, mics, and papers
But she offered us one thing
Her eyes
The one true key to the soul
The true beholder of beauty
So that we may look upon all that was and all that is
So that we may enjoy her stories
The creatures she has housed
And the community she has fostered
So yes I have found paradise
She looks like Vieques
Beautiful and Powerful.
Vieques, PR Image Credits: Brianna El.
Innocence.
Like a child I am kind
Full of life
Vulnerable
But loved
The fruits of my spirit are sweet and nutritious
My skin is vibrant and soft
I create images that many dream of
Where flowers can be any color under the sun
Where sand creeps in every crevice of your toes
The perfect canvas for a rainbow
As time goes on my bones will grow
And I will be wiser
As I grow older
I will remain
Like a height marker on the doorway of a bedroom
I have seen it all
I am paradise
A beautiful marker of time and history
I am innocence.
Church in Vieques, PR Image Credits: Daniel B.
Candy: The craving for power
I can give any human all that they want
My victory is sweet and filled with satisfaction
I offer pleasure at the hands of harm
As you enjoy the bursts of happiness I offer you
I will coat your mouth with sugar
Exciting your taste buds
Creating a craving that you can’t to shake
I will make you want me
More and more
You may offer me to friends and family
But jealousy will soon kick in
Selfishness and greed will take over
Why share when you can have the pleasure for yourself?
As you feast on the fantasies I’ve created for you
I will eat away at you
I’ve seen it all happen before
My sweet core day by day
Making its way through your teeth
This addiction comes at a fair price
It’s not who has more of me
But who declares more
So take your pick
Reach in the candy bowl
Vieques, PR Image Credits: Brianna El.
Mosquito: The story of colonization
When you look at me what do you see?
An opportunist?
A pest?
For have nothing less to give than what you have to give me
I am offering you a contribution
One that will last generations
A true sacrifice
To benefit my children
It requires a single sting
For a split second
It’s inevitable
I’ve decided on it
For a split second
I will prey on you
watching you in awe of all you have to offer me
I have seen it all
And for a split second
Behind your back
You will feel a single sting
That’s when the effects will start
Itchy
Now leaving you with the feeling that I’m always around
You will pick and the bite and complain
Revolt with creams and ice
I will be part of you
Next will be pain
The bite will be painted with a light red
Rising in height with every scratch
My presence will pester you so much that you will inflict pain on yourself to relieve yourself of me
Your skin will separate and red will create a boundary
And when all is done a scar will settle
And as you look at that scar
A new fear will occur
One of me.
Vieques, PR Image Credits: Abbey Leibert
Roots.
I’ve seen it all
For I am Great
The perfect marker of time
The wrinkle in history that goes unnoticed
A memoir from mother Gaia to humans to remind them that she sees all
Like a beauty mark
My presence brings peace
My roots tell stories of life and death
Souls from all over gravitate to my trunk with the hopes of connecting with something they feel disconnected from
To be free from the pains on the world we all have embraced from birth
From the lives we have all built
I am faith
Lost souls from all over endure nature’s warriors to get a few silent moments with me
In hopes that I will reveal what they are looking for
To open their third eye
To remove the veil
I am protected
Mi Guardián
Ardelle
Thank you for the grace.
Thank you for protecting history and generations.
No one man can destroy me
And as my roots wove their way into the soil creating thick arches from beneath
I will protect those who lay their worries and desires at my feet
Soy historia y belleza en la misma hoja.
soy generoso y amado
soy vieques
Lo he visto todo.
I am history and beauty on the same page.
I am generous and loved
I'm Vieques
I've seen it all.
Cieba Tree, Vieques PR Image Credits: Abbey Leibert
House on the hills.
Here I lay as a symbol of Privilege and power
Protecting the legacy of those who relax in the same stable walks from within
Hiding from poverty and responsibility
Day after Day I lay here dormant and bright like a star on the top of a Christmas tree
Except I grant no wishes
I am no more than a decoration
A trophy for a child
I am here to sell those who look up to me a dream
I have history and tales of the island in my bones
I’ve watched houses and businesses fall
Turning into nothing but a memory
Here I lay as a diamond for tourists
An eyesore to the community
Built brick by brick on a natural pedestal
I lay on this Hill watching everyone look up to me as I peek out over a gate
Like an anomaly
In a exhibit
People come from all over to gaze at me
Choosing to ignore the "ugly" circumstances
Believing that I am a omen or sign of luck
Behind the white painted my metal rods
As I stare back
lifeless
With bright colors and wide windows
Stripped of my culture
Of my morals
And despite this
I’ve seen it all.
Old San Juan, PR Image Credits: Brianna El.