I Notice

I notice you walking, thinking, learning, loving, reading, investigating, laughing, crying, living, giving, teaching, working, creating. I notice you challenging the world, even when the world collapses itself on you. I notice you striving, pushing, going on forward. That is what freedom fighters do. I notice you. I have also noticed that it isn’t at all easy to be who you are. The latina woman, often confused to be African-American, or not really latina, the woman with the “funny” accent, who gets asked, "Where are you from?", the nappy ‘fro wearer, growing locks, really Dominican. The dominican, latina woman, from Hunts Point Avenue, in the Bronx, New York. Schooled by life, hardships, experiences and "Bingo"!, feminist thought, gender and sexuality and patriarchal lingo. I notice the fire inside you. I notice the revolutionary spirit in the way you accessorize, the personal as political. You are simple, the symbol of love, personified in the greatest of literary manuscripts. I notice the complexities of feminist thought, gender and sexuality being a part of your being. I notice you being hard on yourself, when you fear your own power! It is a dangerous thing to imagine potential exponentially. I have noticed. You are a difference maker, critical thinker, untapped artist, secret chef, endowed author, liver of life and future profesora! Know this. In noticing you, I take notice of myself!