The Friday 56: Peluda

The Friday 56 is a weekly blog meme hosted by Freda’s Voice. Join us every Friday and share an excerpt from a book you’ve been reading.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
*Find any sentence (or a few, just don’t spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post here in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It’s that simple.

**Be sure to leave a link to your Friday 56 post in the comments!**

Ode to Brown Girls With Bangs

“you have always been a scared little girl.

original copycat, first poseur

check out this towel draped over your neck

get a load of this hair

gathered on the white tile floor—

a bunch of dark girls at the basement show

just started smoking

just stated fucking

just started getting really good

at lying to their mothers.”

I am in love with Melissa Lozado-Oliva’s poetry. I don’t pick up too much of the genre, but when I saw this poet reading from her collection, Peluda, I knew I had to have it for myself. I’m including the YouTube video of her reciting this above poem, so you can see for yourself how amazing she is. Excerpt taken from page 6 as the collection isn’t 56 pages long. Cover is linked to Goodreads.

From the Goodreads Synopsis:

      “One of the most original performance poets of her generation, Melissa Lozada-Oliva has captivated crowds across the country and online with her vivid narratives. Humorous and biting, personal and communal, self-deprecating and unapologetically self-loving, peluda (meaning ‘hairy’ or ‘hairy beast’) is the poet at her best. The book explores the relationship between femininity and body hair as well as the intersections of family, class, the immigrant experience, Latina identity, and much more, all through Lozada-Oliva’s unique lens and striking voice. peluda is a powerful testimony on body image and the triumph over taboo.”