HISPANIOLA

Clear beaches with
their tropical breeze,
bare feet leaving prints
by their island communities,

free living off the open seas,
bare chest in tribal head dress,
by the stars they professed
through sacred lips
before the sails
of undocumented ships,

a time left to dreams,
a people with a means
to connect to its ancestry,
by food and family traditions,
music swaying palm trees,
and if you listen closely
you can hear the sound
of voices calling us home,

tourists walking now
on sacred ground.