latina

In a country that jams equality down my throat

I find it pretty ironic that being latina implies inferiority

As soon as a sentence is uttered from my mouth

Several speculations are created

As if I were no longer a person

But your stereotype of what Brazilian women should be like

When mentioning my roots, the first instinct of most

Is to shift their focus of attention from my eyes to my body

For I certainly must represent what they picture is all that exists in my country:

Soccer, big butts and... let’s not forget about carnival and samba!

That is certainly all we do, all day long, throughout the whole year

Dance samba and get drunk while simultaneously playing soccer!!

Brazil is not a country like America but a jungle

Created solely for pleasure

And to fit your stereotypical view of how I should behave

I must certainly not admit my interest in anything but my looks

Because though we are all equal, you only care about my appearance

However, your native American status did not make me

Assume you were obese or ate cheeseburgers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

So why the hell does my ethnicity make you conclude anything about me?

My country’s constant efforts to attract tourists and profit from their money

Has lead to major protests from the population

In which I participated and was able to see hundreds of people

Marching for investments in education, health and public transportation

Instead of a major concentration of money that we supposedly do not have

In events hosted for the world to see in first hand what a wonderful country Brazil is

Sadly, with a government whose aim is solely to pile money up

And a concentration of tourists oblivious to the issues forced upon us,

Our cries are not heard, and the protests still go on

My heart sinks when I think of my mom living in the middle of a rotten country

Whose representation is truthfully only a shadow of its beauty

Brazil is shrinking, but no one shall be alarmed by its decay

As long as my brothers and sisters continue to shine through the misery of a perished country

Smiling through the bodies of their dead peers 

And I will be eternally proud of their resilience.

So what I mean to say is, the next time you claim there is equality

amongst the members of the united states of America

Try to view the people surrounding you as the full representation of their origins

Instead of a stereotype of a country you do not know anything about

And if you have the ability to do so,

Please try and save your country from rotting within its prejudice.