Listen: Melinda Gonzalez performs “A Day of Attempted Destruction”
Author’s Note: All Puerto Ricans know what happens when you get hurt as a child; someone grabs you and says, “Sana sana culito de rana.” Right after, you wait for the healing that will come tomorrow, if not today. But what happens to the wounds that no one sings to or kisses away? How do we learn to heal them? To heal ourselves?
Dr. Melinda Gonzalez, a native of Newark, New Jersey with ancestral home in Moca, Puerto Rico, is an Afro-Indigenous scholar-activist-poet of Puerto Rican descent. She has performed poetry internationally under the name Poeta Guerrera. Her poetry ranges in style and depth. At moments it rages in political fire – angry at the injustices that plague the world. Other pieces are deep and personal – commenting on a painful childhood that has fueled her love for artistic expression. Having always searched for a deeper meaning and understanding to life, Melinda’s personal experiences in different religions has impacted her work. Her poetry captures her journey through life’s difficult emotions. She has been published in several literary journals and self-published two poetry books – Ramas y Raices (Branches & Roots) and ReConstruct.