I WONT USE YOUR NAME IN THIS POEM BECAUSE IT SIMPLY WOULD BE WRONG. IT WOULD ONLY CONFUSE THE PEOPLE MORE TO TELL THEM, FOR THEY DON’T KNOW YOU. ONLY I KNOW YOU. I KNOW YOU. I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU. TO TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE WOULD BRING TOO MANY QUESTIONS AND MY ANSWERS ARE LIMITED. I WILL NOT TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE. ONLY I KNOW YOU. WE KNOW EACH OTHER. “COME CLOSER.” YOU TELL ME. THE BREEZE HITS OUR FACES HARD. WE ARE READING THE SIGNS. “LATIN LOVE, LATIN LOVE.” YOU KEEP SAYING. I WILL NEVER FULLY UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF LATIN LOVE, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU TRY TO EXPLAIN IT TO ME IN OUR LANGUAGE. OUR LANGUAGE. NOT ONE PERSON ON THIS EARTH CAN SPEAK OUR LANGUAGE. NOT EVEN IF THEY TRIED. ONLY US BECAUSE WE KNOW EACH OTHER. YOU KNOW ME. I KNOW YOU. YOU SAY, “ IF YOU GO BEHOND THERE, ITS LIKE NOTHING, JUST GOT TO FIND YOURSELF. GOTTA DIG DEEP. BUT, ILL HOLD YOUR HAND THE WHOLE WAY.” HA! THE PEOPLE WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS. NOT EVEN IF THEY TRIED. SPEAKIN PURE PUG, AS YOU WOULD SAY. COLD. COLD. THEY HAVE NO IDEA. JUST HOLD MY HAND AS THE STORM PASSES BY. THEY DON’T KNOW THE STORM. THEY CAN’T FEEL IT. YOU PULL ME CLOSER. THEY MUST BE SO CONFUSED BY NOW. THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. NO A SINGLE CLUE. JUST GOD’S GAMES. WHEN IS IT OVER? AGAIN,YOU PULL ME CLOSER, SQUEEZE MY HAND TIGHTER. THEN YOU WHISPER, “ITS GONNA BE REAL COLD TONIGHT. I CAN FEEL IT COMING. SOMETHING IN THE AIR. YOU FEEL THAT?” OF COURSE I DO. I FEEL IT ALL THE TIME. JUST GOTTA DIG DEEP. JUST LIKE YOU SAID. I FIGHT BACK THE TEARS LIKE YOU SHOWED ME. I GIVE THEM THE PEOPLE “LATIN EYES”, AS YOU CALL THEM. HARD, COLD, AND BROWN. BUT IF YOU LOOK CLOSER, YOU SEE THE PAIN. NOW THAT IS SOMETHING THE PEOPLE CAN SEE. THE PAIN. GATHERED UP PAIN. UNRELEASED PAIN. OUR PAIN. I WANT TO FEEL YOUR SWEET SURRENDER. YOUR LATIN LOVE. I WANT TO SEE YOUR RICH BROWN SKIN IN THE RAIN. YOUR HAND HOLDING MINE. FOREVER. I DIG DEEP NOW. CAN YOU FEEL IT? OF COURSE YOU CAN. WE FEEL IT ALL THE TIME. YOU ARE FOREVER REMINDING ME THAT I MUST NEVER FORGET WHAT I ONCE WAS AND WHAT I FOREVER WILL BE. A LATINA. ALL THOUGH OTHERS TELL ME DIFFERENT, I HAVE FOUGHT LIKE ONE. I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND IT. ITS OKAY. I KNOW YOU. YOU KNOW ME. ALL THOUGH THE PEOPLE DON’T, I DO. WE DO. WE KNOW EACH OTHER.