It was September 15, 2021 I was waiting until my introduction, I was thrilled to win the U.S Laureate Award. This would be one of my biggest accomplishments as the big crowd was waiting as the introducer was speaking of my work and quotes. I have already won a poet Laureate Award in my home country but this was different. The crowd was much bigger than the one in my home country.

As the announcer and my friend Mr. Billington introduced me, I saw the tall blue walls and felt excitement. After I said my thanks I would start my speech shortly after. I decided to dedicate this speech to the people that helped me and the journey of my life. “These people of my family are the ones who made my career” I said. I told my experience of my elementary school I announced where I went to school and said my encouragement. I told about my 3rd grade teacher who encouraged me to do better in school and express myself. As a Spanish speaker in an English speaking school it was very brutal and tiring. “I would put all my languages and styles into the poetry” I said to the crowd this is how I expressed my poems and created them.

I felt the need to commemorate my wife during the speech as she helped me through the tough times and helped me to be here today. “The only thing you have to do is write the poem in a flourishing way and express it” I expressed to the audience. The crowd was very energetic which made me try to give them the speech I tried my hardest to make my speech as amusing as possible by making a number of jokes and references. While I did this I still talked about real and important subjects. This speech talked of my poems about exiling and political subjects as I spread awareness I also felt as if my words had meanings. I also felt as if the crowd was not just people but people with meaning.

As I began the first song I signaled the singer to start the music and sing. While the singer sang I told a story of a young African American female. “She was arrested for not blinking the lights right. She was a black girl who knew her rights and was a good activist.” But a rude police officer soon came and discriminated against her. She kept pushing his tolerance and the man began to start being violent. As the man took her to jail later that day she committed suicide. This is one of my most favorite stories to tell as it tells about the events that's still happening to this day. I spoke of a man who was through slavery and hardship and bloodshed. I spoke of his sight of blood at all times and his unlimited sadness. I loved to tell stories of serious and dangerous problems of our day and political opinions. I told the crowd that I don't wish to have my poetry or beautiful, fancy or have many colorful photos. I wanted my poetry to be true and about real situations that make sense and have meaning. As I read through my poetry I could see the exclamation on people’s faces as they became more intrigued after each one. After a poem I expressed my respect for postwar polish poets as they went through incredible unimaginable ordeals such as the holocaust. It amazes me how much people go through that they do not deserve.

I also exclaimed my excitement for Hispanic heritage month and is why I love to give this speech on that month. I express the way that an ant sees things we call small and something so big it could topple them. This is how I think we should think of things as bigger than us. As I said my thanks and gratitude to all the people who have helped me in my life I started to wrap up the speech and leave. I finally gave my final words of encouragement and left the crowd. When I left I was filled with excitement and noticed just how long I had been there as when I looked out the window it was pitch black. I feel very appreciative of the award and the opportunity to speak out to the people in the crowd and thousands online.