This is not a quiet voice
They say
I shouldn’t be so proud.
That my voice does not always need to be heard -
I can quiet down a little bit.
Strap a muzzle of your hate to my mouth until all the noise is suppressed.
“We know you’re Salvadoran.”
“Stop trying to tokenize yourself.”
I apologize - I seem to have forgotten
you’ve painted an illusion you own the rights to this voice
My muzzle only comes off when it allows you to mark off the diversity check on your paper
Well, excuse me as I erase my identity and craft it to your liking
Code switch to make you comfortable
This is not a quiet voice
This voice was nurtured and cultured by generations of Centenos, Valladares
They will stand up with their Banderas and shout
“We are from El Salvador!”
They suffered and struggled to give me this life
So the next time you say I should
Quiet down a little bit
Don’t be so proud
I will stand up and shout
This is not a quiet voice
This voice was taught to shout and sing the words of love and pride