Siena Garrison, age 14

I wrote this for the WriteGirl Poetry Palooza. I am bilingual – I speak English and Spanish – and I wanted to share a little bit about what being bilingual means to me.

Libre

In this country, we are “free”
In English, you are bound to a name
A background
A life
An identity
A personality

I am a girl
I am white
I am happy
I am perfect

I am fake
I am empty
I am nothing

I am not free

Pero en español,
Soy alguien
Soy libre

Mi sonrisa falsa desaparece
Soy una niña que tiene una voz

Digo lo que creo
Not what I am supposed to say
Mi corazón está en Costa Rica
Not in my European roots
Soy una persona real
I am not a plastic doll

In English, I am bound
Forced to be something I am not
Pero en español, soy libre

In English,
I am nothing more than a lie
En español,
Soy me