Dear friend,
In only a few days you will notice in your inbox a new Soy/Somos conversation with American teacher and poet, Dr. Gretna Wilkison.
I woke up this morning feeling the weight of the occasion, the challenge of trying to convey some essence of a person's life, another immigrant story, tender and important.
To introduce you to Gretna Wilkinson, I am including here a poem from her gorgeous collection of poetry, Opening the Drawer, published by Cool Women Press. Gretna was born and raised in Guyana. This poem circles back to that time in her life.
99 PrayersRaymond, I prayed about 99 times
for Grammy to feel better
and we were gonna bake coconut buns
and lick the spoon and the bowl
Grammy told me so herself
And now mommy says God took her?
you mean, God took our Grammy
from her room next to ours
in the middle of the night
when we were too busy sleeping
to watch out for her?
You mean, the Sunday School God?
The Sunday School God did that?
(reprinted here with permission from the author)
We are busy voting this week and feeling overwhelmed with the barrage of news that will accompany this right of ours as Americans. Please take a moment to read Gretna Wilkinson's story when it reaches your inbox. We are a nation of immigrants. Diverse perspectives, a common humanity, this is our glory and our strength.
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