I Am Poem and Sense of Place

I am Poem

I am Neykar from Venezuela.

I am from Venezuela, the country who gave other nations a hero like Simon Bolivar “The Libertador” only to find ourselves fighting against another dictatorship.

I am from that place, the one on the southern parts of the Americas, one with amazing culture, one that has always embraced and respected diversity by receiving many immigrants when their countries suffered.

Mass production of gold, diamonds, natural gas, and oil are our blessing and our curse.

I am from lagoons with frogs, green mountains, rivers, El Santo Angel, the wine waterfall, and beaches with the best sand and clear water.

Snakes, frogs, cows, chickens, pigs, and horses are among our neighbors.

Where these neighbors of cows, pigs, and chickens go from your back yard to your table to make your belly happy.

I am from a big family who celebrates Christmas with traditional food of hallaca, pernil, chicken salad, and ham bread.

Beauty queens with long legs and big smiles is what Venezuelan women are known for.

I am from the land of strong women whose beauty goes beyond long legs and beauty contests around the world.

I am without long legs but with a big smile; a beauty queen to my Kindergarten and First grade classmates.

I am from Neyda who alone with three more of my siblings made me a better person and helped shape my future.