Chamorrita Song
The Mariana Islands claim a long line of Chamorro versemakers and storytellers. To this tradition, Danielle P. Williams adds a measure of Black gospel to create this wholly original debut collection. An essayist and spoken-word artist from Columbia, South Carolina, she earned an MFA in poetry from George Mason University. Now living in Southern California, her Who All Gon’ Be There? was a finalist in the Button Poetry Chapbook Contest.
CHAMORRITA SONG
Sometimes I imagine I am a competitor
That I have a say in what happens to my bodyThat I’m not just anybody
That I’m a poetAll rhyme and song and beating heart
A body like water ripping life apartEach word a gospel
Each return another chance to fight for my lifeI think I deserve that right
And there’s nothing new about these songs
Just like my hands still bleed
I’ve learned we’re not who people believe
But I still yell my poems like last wordsI still hope for relief
Reviewed by
Matt Sutherland
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
