You say we free
Then why you stuck in one area
Can’t go outside your boundaries ’cause
Brothas wanna bury you
For reasons uncertain
Young brothas dyin’ so rapidly now
It’s like damn we lost him too
And you say we free
Talkin’ about you got freedom of speech
Stayin’ in one part of town can’t expand
Your brain, the sky
Impossible to reach
That hopeless feelin’, thinkin’ the only thing you can
Do right is sleep
And you say we free
Trapped in a concrete jungle
Where everybody wants to be a lion
Feelin’ there’s no sense in climbin’
To the top because brothas on the streets
Are like crabs in a bucket
Always pulling you down
And you say we free
Then why we cheat our brains
It’s hard to be creative with the cells that remain
Minds trapped in chains inside a cage
Screamin’ for freedom
But blunt smoke and alcohol are the only things
You feed ’em
(Talkin’ ’bout food for thought)
And you say we free
Livin’ on the edge waitin’ to get pushed
Black on black crime is reachin’ an all-time high
In the record books
It’s hard to focus on the path ahead
When you always have to give your shoulder an overload
And you say we free
Lack of self-motivation keepin’ brothas
In altercation lack of destination
Leads to no demonstration
For our youth so they think entertainment
Is the only thing you can do
And if we free
Why we livin’ with no sense of reality
Young brothas dyin’ fast ’cause they want
Respect like your majesty
And you say we free
But in all actuality we still
Livin’ in slavery minus the visual chains
Now society holds us captive with
Visuals to the brain it’s a shame
How jingles make people go insane
Dismantle their frame
And you tellin’ me we free
Most people speak love but don’t
Live love and love for each
Other will take the shackles off
Our feet
Now ask yourself
Are you
Free?

– Eric Foster

This poem is featured in the exhibition This Place Called Poetry.

Yo soy nicoya
con mis memorias
te contare la historia
de mi gente
trabajadora y decente
que lleva en la mente
siempre ir hacia al frente

Muchos pinoleros
dejaron nuestra tierra
buscando la manera
de brillar en su carrera
otros huyeron de la Guerra
y la miseria
refugieándose bajo la bandera
de las barras y las estrellas
tratando de olvidar todas sus tragedias

Aunque digan que estoy loco
que me patina el coco
yo no me desenfoco
y sigo poco a poco
tu conciencia te toco
por eso yo te pido no dejes
en el olvido a tu suelo querido

No importa la posición social
aquí todos debemos ser igual
que si estoy lleno de cal
o si visto traje casual
si me baño en un manantial
o solo tengo agua de sal
hoy busco lo que es real

y salirme del mundo artificial
una nueva vida comenzar
sin olvidar ningún familiar
en aquel hogar que deje atras

Recuerdo los amigos, la familía,
los besos en la mejilla
los paseos con mi tía
y hasta la vende tortilla
los juegos en armonía
seguido por una dulce sandia
y mis padres pensando en el pan de cada día
preocupados por el trabajo y el dolor en las costillas
asi pasaron tres años entre sueños y pesadillas

La corrupción y la traición
agarrados de la mano acaban con mi nación
los presidentes creen que la gente son sus juguetes
y llenan su expediente de engaño hacia los creyentes
entonces miro a los niños inocentes que viven como indigentes
no tienen ropa decente, bien sucio de la frente y algunos hasta sin dientes

Los poderosos hablan de sinceridad
para ganar mas popularidad
pero al hora de la verdad
se olvidan de la realidad
aunque en nuestra actualidad
no es ninguna casualidad
que el pueblo supero cualquier calamidad
pues estamos llenos de amabilidad
y poniendo aparte toda la maldad
tenemos la seguridad
que nuestro trabajo es de calidad
y con toda tranquilidad
forjaremos una tierra de estabilidad

History

I am Nicoya
from my memories
I’ll tell you the history
of my people
hard-working and decent
who knew how to keep moving forward

Many pinoleros
left our land
seeking a way
to succeed in their careers
Others fled war
and misery
found refuge under
the star-spangled banner
and tried to forget their tragedies

Even if they say I’m crazy
that I have a screw loose
I don’t loose focus
I keep on, little by little
Your conscience I reach
That’s why I ask,
don’t forget your beloved foundation

Social position doesn’t matter
Here everyone is equal
If I’m covered in soot
or dressed in business casual
If I bathe in a tiled shower
or only have salt water
Today I seek what is real

I step away from the artificial world
A new life begins
without forgetting my family
or the home I left behind

I remember friends and family
kisses on cheek
the outing with my aunt
Even the tortilla stand
and the games played in harmony

Followed by sweet watermelon
while my parents thought about our daily bread
preoccupied with their jobs and the pain in their ribs
Like this they spent three years between dreams and nightmares

Corruption and treason
hold hands to undo my nation
Presidents think the people are toys
and fill their speeches with deceit towards the believers
Then I see innocent children who live like beggars
They don’t have decent clothes, their foreheads are dirty, some without teeth

The powerful speak of sincerity
to gain more popularity
But in the hour of truth
they forget reality
In actuality
it’s not a casualty
that our people survive all calamities

We are full of humanity
And putting aside all cruelty
we can be confident
that our job is quality
And with some tranquility
we will achieve stability.

– Jorge Aburto

This poem is featured in the exhibition This Place Called Poetry.