Poem: “Marked”

Never write with pencil,

m’ija.

It is for those

who would

erase.

Make your mark proud

and open,

Brave,

beauty folded into

   its imperfection,

Like a piece of turquoise

marked.

Never write

with pencil,

m’ija.

Write with ink

or mud,

or berries grown in

gardens never owned,

or, sometimes,

   if necessary,

      blood.

“Marked” by Carmen Tafolla from Sonnets and Salsa © 2001. Reprinted by permission of Wings Press. (wingspress.com)