{"id":1014,"date":"2011-03-28T16:12:49","date_gmt":"2011-03-28T20:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/crosscultural\/?p=1014"},"modified":"2011-03-29T16:12:58","modified_gmt":"2011-03-29T20:12:58","slug":"poetry-from-guatemala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/2011\/03\/28\/poetry-from-guatemala\/","title":{"rendered":"Poetry from Guatemala"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mexico\/Guatemala<\/a><\/p>\n

I am tired of not being allowed to study where I wish
\nAnd yet studying anywhere is a privilege
\nI am tired of not being able to decide what I eat
\nAnd yet having food is a privilege
\nI am tired of not being able to wash clothes, dry dishes or clean my own room
\nAnd yet many people would give a lot to have respite from these things
\nI am tired of not being able to communicate
\nAnd yet many people do not have a voice in their own country<\/p>\n

I am amazed at my exhaustion, frustration, and sometimes counting of weeks here
\nIt is a great privilege to be here, especially with a group and professors \u2013
\na very unique experience
\nMy host parents make sure I am well taken care of
\nand every day the beautiful view from the third and fourth floor of CASAS makes me
\npause and take notice again
\nIt is an interesting balance: knowing how to take one\u2019s feelings seriously
\nand then how to give perspective to them from a wider context \u2026<\/p>\n

– Stephanie DeHart<\/p>\n

\"Rachel<\/a><\/p>\n

Power, desired by the world
\nThe world, wanting more, bringing pain.
\nPain, walls built, space between.
\nIs there a difference between the world and I?
\nPower, obtained through the money of the wealthy
\nThe wealthy, exploiting, consuming, bringing pain.
\nPain, money doesn\u2019t bring joy.
\nIs there a difference between the wealthy and I?
\nPower lacking in the lives of the poor.
\nThe poor, working, striving, falling, bringing pain.
\nPain, the walls keep getting steeper to climb
\nIs there a difference between the poor and I?
\nPower, something I have.
\nI, wanting control of my destiny, bringing pain.
\nPain, my plans fail.
\nWill we ever let go of power?<\/p>\n

– Rachel Hershey<\/p>\n

\"Ruth<\/a><\/p>\n

Today I smiled at
\nThe preoccupied woman
\nWho I pass almost daily
\nThe preoccupied woman and the hurried student
\nOne day
\nAs I make my way to the bus stop
\nI will greet them both
\nBuenos Dias<\/p>\n

This day twice a day and every day
\nBuenos Dias
\nTo the guardia of my colonia
\nOne day
\nI will ask
\nA veces le aburre su trabajo?<\/p>\n

Some days
\nI run into neighbors
\nI chat with CASAS staff
\nI start conversations with my mamita in the hopes that
\nSome day
\nWhen I leave this place
\nSomething will remain<\/p>\n

– Ruth Maust<\/p>\n

\"Kiersten<\/a><\/p>\n

Peten<\/p>\n

A million ants carrying
\n10 million leaves as
\n250 tons of cocaine is carried past
\n250 young soldiers.
\nUsing a relative of cloves as
\nMosquito repellant,
\nCampesinos harvesting palms \u2013
\nCarrying Jesus into Jerusalem.
\nEvery
\nYear.<\/p>\n

– Rose Byler<\/p>\n

\"Jenn<\/a><\/p>\n

Kaleidoscope Hope
\nColors swirl, blend, and mingle.
\nBougainvillea, bird of paradise, trajes, huipiles and dirty clothes alike.
\nThe cloth, the flowers, the eyes, and the smiles.
\nEverything Guatemala seems brighter,
\nExcept the history and perhaps the future.
\nOppression, discrimination, corruption
\nAll here too.
\nGlazed hungry eyes beg for food
\nWhile golden Quetzals sit atop a chandelier
\nAnd preachers fly in private planes.
\nWhere is justice for them, other than their own
\nDoll-like hands?
\nWhen government officials and \u201cmen of God\u201d alike
\nAre corrupted by greed and power?
\nThe poor?\u00a0 The children?
\nWhere is justice now?
\nCuidado nena, little one,
\nThis kaleidoscope of bright color quickly turns dark.
\nDon\u2019t give up hope, justice will come for you, and
\nHopefully your hungry eyes will see that day.
\nHopefully your dirty, doll-like hands will grasp tonight
\nAnd never let go.
\nHopefully brightness fills your kaleidoscope future.
\nHope.\u00a0 Fully.<\/p>\n

– Jenn Leaman<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am tired of not being allowed to study where I wish And yet studying anywhere is a privilege I am tired of not being able to decide what I eat And yet having food is a privilege I am tired of not being able to wash clothes, dry dishes or clean my own room … Continue reading Poetry from Guatemala<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4003],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guatemala-usmexico-border-2011"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1014"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1033,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1014\/revisions\/1033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}