LATINX SALUD POEMS: AN INAUGURAL COLLECTION

The Latino Caucus for Public Health is proud to release Latinx Salud Poems: An Inaugural Collection.  According to publication editor/contributor and LPOC board member, Alvaro Garza, MD, MPH, “these poems reveal our experiences, observations, reflections, concerns, wishes/desires, and demonstrate nicely why most of us are in the health professions or otherwise have a passion y ganas to improve not just our lives but the lives of our communities, our gente.” 

We wanted to share one of their beautiful poems.

POLITICAL ODIO ON THE BORDER

By Álvaro Garza, MD MPH

We’re all gente migrante. We’ve all come from some place or other.

Venimos para una vida mejor.  To be where we can love one another.

Estos tiempos are very unsetling y a veces no se que sentir.  

Should I stay or go?  Quiero saber si del país debo salir.

No entiendo the political hate shown everyday on the border.

Diario veo odiosos politicians breaking the law and order.

De donde viene tanta xenofobia? We are not born that way.

Children love others de todos colores.  Adults teach that love away.

Surely, este es no el país that’s been welcoming all for ages.

American values no dejan niños encardelados for months in cages.

Veo en la frontera una nena, taken from her mother,

Llorando y llorando por horas, treated like an “other”.

Those unhmane U.S. policies, no se deben tolerer. 

In his changing land of immigrants, tenemos todos que votar.

I see mothers being deported; sin sus hijos se las llevan.

Crying and hearts hurting, quedarse con familias desean.

These are not rapists and killers; estas familias solo quieren immigrar.  

They’re the tired, poor and huddled masses, las debemos celebrar.

For a better life para todos, exigimos health and social justice.

Con tanto odio en país, the work requires all of just us.

Gente migrante want and demand justicia y oportunidad, 

for a better vida y sociedad con equidad.

To purchase your copy of the entire book of poetry, please click here.