Other Work

Fiction

Poetry

PUERTO RICAN TO THE BONE

by Marisel Vera

In conversation with “Boricua en la Luna” by Juan Antonio Corretjer

They came down from the mountains,
They came from the coasts,
Whole families, two or three generations,
On foot, some of them,
Barefoot, some of them.

Five thousand of them,
Puerto Ricans, all of them
Dis-placed by the taste of sugar,
Promises, promises, always promises.
Shipped like cattle, not men.
19th Century exodus (first, more to come),
¡Á Hawaii, á Hawaii!
U.S. territory to U.S. territory.

Puerto Ricans, all of them
Five thousand hardy, adventurous souls
Compelled to be brave, all of them who left
Desperate to remediar la situación, to
Replace sugar water with
Rice and beans and, maybe, meat.

Puerto Ricans, all of them,
Five thousand of them
Puerto Rican to the bone
Dreaming of Borinquen
Un día, un día, llanto, canto
Trabajo y tristeza.

Un jíbaro de Peñuelas came down from the mountain,
One of thousands,
Puerto Ricans all of them
Necessity made them brave, all of them who left
20th Century exodus (second, more to come),
¡Á Chicago, á Chicago!
American-style Bootstrap
Manos a la Obra Promises
Desperate to remediar la situación.

Á la fabrica he would go, on the bus, in the cold,
Paycheck going to un chorro de muchachos,
Squashed in four rooms in Humboldt Park.
Papi, mi Papi

Welder’s burns tattooed his chest, his arms,
Poison fumes filled his lungs instead of mountain breezes
Papi, mi Papi
Doomed to die too young.
His finquita a dream
Buried with him in Chicago
Cold, he was always cold.

Una mujer puertorriqueña de Peñuelas came down the mountain,
Dreaming of being a fashion designer,
But, no, in Chicago, she packed candy in cardboard boxes, second shift, Fanny May
Telling stories to her children, passing them on like assorted chocolates,
Mami, mi mami, who birthed a writer daughter
Destined to re-birth the stories she brought from the island,
To claim for her/ the ones she didn’t know.

There were thousands of them,
Puerto Ricans all of them,
In Humboldt Park, walking on La Division, viejitos
Maimed by steel blades, playing dominoes with three fingers, or
Missing an eye from a factory accident, squinting in the sun.
No choice, but to be brave, all of them who left
Puerto Ricans to the bone,
Sent money to la isla to those who stayed
Made their homes in an alien country,
Their children lost in Spanish,
Searching in English for their place,
Boricuas en la Luna

Boricuas, millions of them,
Born in Borinken or Chicago or on the moon.
Puerto Ricans all of them.
Millions of us, Puerto Rican to the Bone.

Theatre

YOU CAN'T COVER THE SKY WITH YOUR HAND

by Marisel Vera, directed by Alyssa Vera Ramos

YOU CAN'T COVER THE SKY WITH YOUR HAND uplifts the experiences of the one-third of Puerto Rican women who were systematically sterilized through a decades-long population control collaboration between the U.S. and PR governments. Like Puerto Rican women before and after them, Delfina and Isabel make the best decisions they can for themselves and their families, while navigating untenable situations.

Infused with Afro Puerto Rican Bomba music and everyday intimacy, SKY pulls the impact of reproductive violence into sharp focus, illuminating present-day struggles for healthcare, agency, and thriving communities.

SKY was honored as a Semi-Finalist of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s 2018 National Playwrights Conference. Learn more.

Available for production and collaboration.

A short version of YOU CAN'T COVER THE SKY WITH YOUR HAND was performed at The Edge Off Broadway in Chicago, IL as part of Pivot Arts' multi-arts experience “The Memory Place” in June 2023.

Featuring Nydia Castillo, NK Gutiérrez, Alyssa Corrigan, and Christopher Acevedo, with original Bomba music by Ivelisse Díaz and Jonathan Pacheco. Footage captured by Jovan Landry.