Archive of Letters and Voices • Xelena Gonzalez
• July 2020
• Of the Sun
Child of the sun,
you’ve been blessed since birth
Your skin is akin
to our brown Mother Earth
She kisses your hands
and guards every step
Even in dreams,
you are carefully kept
For a promise was made
to ancestors before you
who brought life to the land
with the bounty they grew
Corn, avocado, squash,
and tomatoes,
chocolate, vanilla,
beans, and potatoes
The list goes on
These foods fed so many
All over the world
There was suddenly plenty!
Thousands came to these lands
looking for a new life
For some, it meant riches
For others, much strife
But the land is the keeper
of original story
She protects all the tribes
who once shared her glory
Your people were here
since the first rising sun
Your tie to la tierra
cannot be undone
Mestiza, Hispanic,
Latinx, Chicano
Illegal, Indian
migrant, Mexicano–
Whatever they call you
is merely a name
Your bloodline, your story
remains just the same.
Flags will fly, maybe die
and leaders will change
But your bond to this land
will always remain
From Yámana down south
to Inuit in the north
The land’s First People
will keep pushing forth
To survive and to thrive
despite changing days
holding on to their customs
while learning new ways
If you’ve planted your roots
or traveled quite far
always remember
deep down who you are
Indigenous. Native.
On this land, you may roam
Wherever life takes you
That means you are home