Yo Soy La Tierra (I Am the Earth)

A poem of a foreign land and a distant memory

Photo by Hugo Kruip on Unsplash

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I was chosen to be a part of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s ELEVATE Program this year and one of the exercises we did in our group was creating an “I Am” poem. I never wrote a poem before now but after receiving encouragement from my peers, I felt encouraged to share this piece with the world. Many people would believe that I was born in America and that is not an experience that captures who I am as received naturalized citizen status when I was 8.

Through this poem, I hope others can better understand my heritage and where I came from before immigrating to the United States as a child.

This poem is called Yo Soy La Tierra (I Am the Earth).

I am from the Earth,
from Bolivia and Sudamerica.
I am from the mountains,
the roots in the ground and the coca leaves.

I am from foreign soil and volcanoes,
whose intense heat I remember
as if they were right here in New York.

I am from the Quechua tribe and Strait of Tiquina,
descended from the Incas and Tiwanaku.
From salteñas and pasankalla,
I am from Pachamama,
with Mama Quilla and Inti.

I’m from La Paz,
the silpancho and the cueca,
from the quinoa that nourishes,
and the two spirits that guide me.

Under my bed were blankets,
made of alpaca wool to comfort my dreams.

I am from these elements —
the fire,
the water,
and the earth.

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