How did the poem get here I wonder as I look around me at the 50 plus Spanish poets who are gathered and I am the only Engish/Caribbean poet?

How did I get here?

Through what channels did the poem travel to get here?

This is not the first time I am sharing my work among strangers who do not speak the same language or know anything about the Caribbean and always I’m amazed but gratified at the enthusiasm, that they identify, relate –the poems resonate with them.

i write about what it means historically, contemporarilly  and socially to be Black and Woman and Caribbean — the legacy, and continuing on…our humanity and struggles to get here, to be here, to continue, and they hear and understand and identify.

What I know is I have to do this work and like water if I do it well with integrity the poems will find their place in the world and many already have.

Thank each and all of you for welcoming and receiving them