I am really feeling Anaid Cerreno's poem, Snake Tongue, Lengua de Culebra. At first read I felt political resistance in solidarity with disenfranchised minority groups and thought the place was set in current time USA. She is Mexican American from the US and although an internet search on her was quite unsuccessful I got the sense she identifies as a Chicana which political implications tied to the Chicano movement of the 60's-70's.
The poem's voice begins with the perspective of a snake. The snake in Aztec, Nahuatl language has many symbolic structures and meanings but the one I thought about when reading this was the Quetzalcoatl, God of wind and wisdom. This feathered serpent deity was one of several important gods related to knowledge and learning. The snake also appears on the Mexican flag and coat of arms, representing a long standing symbol of the country's culture, legends, and politics.
I get the sense that this poem is an ode to the writer's ancestral voice as it relates to their place on earth today; their connection to la tierra (the earth), la gente (the people) and el espiritu (the spirit) of their existence. All of which is a political act in itself. Anaid challenges colonization, " false ideologies are accepted as realities ignoring the facts. I am not illegal and you don't have the right to label or decide. I am not a criminal, never was." This makes me think about the political body and policing black and brown bodies, criminalizing people's race. "Incarceration, deportation, degradation, gentrification," these are current uses of violence against people of color validated by structural (laws) and institutional racism.
The poem starts as an observation, she is the snake watching the system play out it's hatred towards the "silenced and unheard," then moves into her own identity as being part of that which is marginalized, "don't obstruct my academic path, I will jump each and every obstacle one by one."
Her use of academia in the poem brings me back to ancestral connection to the feathered serpent and it's use of knowledge as power which makes it a God.
This poem was interesting to me as well because of its clarity and powerful voice. One thing that I asked myself (in regard to this poem) was 'what is it about the voice that speaks to me so much?' One thing that comes to mind is how the words in the poem are full and layered...that have multiple dimensions and do not feel flat and empty. Figurative language helps to really understand not just the words and situation, but the emotions and perspective of the writer...that was just one thing that came to mind, especially while reading your response.
ReplyDeletesorry this didn't publish earlier! Great post! Yeah, I thought a lot about the symbolic meaning of the snake and here, it's lasting cultural symbolism post-colonialism and incorporated, and also a lot on snake symbolism in indigenous peoples' storytelling in general. It varies a lot but gave me an interesting take on what I was reading. Especially with the Christian conceptualization of the snake (still rooted in localized legends nonetheless) but also how it makes a powerful statement of being your oppressors worst fear. "Incarceration, deportation, degradation, gentrification," jumped off the page for me. How direct (no suggestive language here). And I thought of the way Smith narrativizes these exact sentiments and appreciated the many takes and craft choices to expresses awareness and resistance to oppression of folks of color.
ReplyDeletei agree with your colleagues and admire the way your watched the progression of the poem and found the power of the snake tongue. I think another aspect that you didn't discuss was her spacing and punctuation. It is long lines, really lifted away from one another. It makes us stop and swallow each declaration!
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