Taino Eyes
- Marcy Baez Lopez
- Oct 11, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 12
On September 24th, 1493, Christopher Columbus embarked on his second voyage to the New World, sailing with 17 ships and 1,200 to 1,500 soldiers from Cádiz, Spain. Fifty-six days later, on Sunday, November 19th, 1493, he landed on the northwest coast of Puerto Rico—somewhere between Aguada and Aguadilla, or possibly in Añasco, Rincón, or Mayagüez. There, they encountered the Taíno people, descendants of the Arawak tribe, who were the Indigenous inhabitants of the island.
Author's Note: My DNA has confirmed my strong Taíno heritage in this region of the island.
My poem titled "Taino Eyes," featuring artwork by ElusiveDreams07 at Devianart.com
This poem was written more than nine years ago, drawing inspiration from my Taino Native American ancestors. Original published work and image source
TAINO EYES
"When they came, we thought they come from sky We thought they gods... Then we see not gods, but men like we, with white covered flesh They come take our home and children Leave us with no women, no wives, or mothers... We warriors fight for our people but it come to us losing our life... We are Taino men." "We hid behind trees, invisible to others We are ONE with land, hidden and unseen... Our men leave to greet and fight as warriors We lost and now we must marry or die... So I marry and have their children I change my name and take their god... I am Taino woman" "We play and hide, We see strange creatures with white flesh We hear strange words ... Crying from our mothers, warring from our fathers We scare and run into the hills and caves... We saw death surround us, everyone sick and dying No more playing, no more fun, we hungry... We are Taino children"
Created by artist JCE Lopez-Correa JCE Lopez-Correa on November 27, 2012, this oil on canvas was directly inspired by my poem. As the artist shared: "Inspiration came from a poem written by Marcy Lopez one of our sister." I'm so proud of how our work merged into this beautiful piece!
In July 2012, Virginia Lopez Garcia (my aunt and a published writer/poet) shared:
"The wording of the poem suggestion introduces each accordingly to what concurred. This is an expressive poem with each piece introducing a class of people what they experienced on the onset of war within their place called home."
In October 2016, Sanakori Ramos shared with me:
"Great poem and truly touches the Taino soul. It was read at a Taino ceremony by Vee Perez. It was amazing. Ancestors spoke through you.."
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