National Hispanic Heritage Month!
September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month! It is a time when we recognize the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. This month we will take some time to recognize a poet of Hispanic descent, Sandra Cisneros. Sandra Cisneros is not only a poet but an essayist, short story writer, and novelist. One of her most notable works is an excellent collection of vignettes, The House on Mango Street. Another notable work/poem (and one of my favorites), Loose Woman is below. Loose Woman They say I'm a beast And feast on it. When all along I thought that’s what a woman was. They say I’m a bitch. Or witch. I’ve claimed the same and never winced. They say I’m a macha, hell on wheels, viva-la-vulva, fire and brimstone, man-hating, devastating, boogey-woman lesbian. Not necessarily, but I like the compliment. The mob arrives with stones and sticks to maim and lame and do me in. All the same, when I open my mouth, they wobble like g...