“Maria,” a 14-year-old migrant farmworker, is one of many women working out in the fields - thousands of “Marias” who are victims of discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, pesticides and unfair labor conditions. Her art and poetry were sent to JWI through the Domestic Violence Project of Farmworker Legal Services of New York, Inc.
You see silence
You hear silence
You can almost taste silence
(they think that is beautiful….they think)
You’re also forced to ignore silence
You also choose to ignore silence, because….you want to live
No longer will i stay silent from your abuse
(not so beautiful this time around)
No longer will i be cornered by silence and its impurities
No longer will i be encaged…encaged in you, by you and around you
I was given a voice, too scared to be used until now…..
If ayone is going to be silent ….it’s going to be you……
Yo escucho silencio
Yo veo silencio
Casi puedo saborear el silencio
(piensan que es bello..lo piensan)
Eres forzada a ignorar el silencio
Tambien escoges ignorar el silencio…..porque quieres vivir
Ya nunca mas estare en silencio por t u abuso
(que a estas alturas , ya no es bello…
Ya nunca mas estare acorralada por el silencio y sus impureza
Ya nunca mas estare enjaulada..enjaulada en ti, por ti y alrededor de ti
Se me dio una voz alguna vez, demasiado asustada para usarla hasta ahora…..
Si alguien va a estar en silencio……..vas a ser tu.
