Puerto Rican poetry

Puerto Rican poetry refers to poems written by Puerto Rican writers.

Puerto Ricans are American citizens. Because of this, Puerto Rican poetry is a part of American poetry. Puerto Rican poetry is also considered part of Caribbean poetry and Latin American poetry. This is because the island is in the Caribbean. It is also because of the cultural and linguistic connection  to the region. 

Puerto Rican poetry is often written in Spanish. However, Puerto Rican poets often use both English and Spanish  in the same poem. Sometimes, poets mix Spanish and English words into Spanglish expressions.

Themes include: personal identity, cultural heritage, oppression, discrimination, racism, sexism, and Puerto Rican politics. Poems about the island often use images of oceans, rivers, beaches, local foods, and family traditions. However, Puerto Ricans poets who move to the mainland USA write about city streets, crowds, and the pressures of urban life.  

 Poems about Puerto Rico 

 "Río Grande de Loíza" by Julia de Burgos explores the island's history of slavery and American imperialism. The poem expresses the pain and violence suffered by native islanders and African slaves along the river.
 "Soy boricua" by Giannina Braschi expresses the philosophical dilemma of Puerto Rico's political status a colony of the United States.
 “I, Too, Am Black” is a spoken word poem  by Caridad de la Luz “La Bruja” on Puerto Rican identity and race. The poem was inspired by Langston Hughes
 "Puerto Rico" is a poem written in Spanish and English by Victor Hernández Cruz. It deals with the landscape, the traditions, and the politics of being a United States territory.
 "Puerto Rican Obituary" by Pedro Pietri expresses the sorrow and suffering of Puerto Rican immigrants who move to big cities such as New York.

 Puerto Rican poets 
 Giannina Braschi
 Julia de Burgos
 Victor Hernández Cruz 
 La Bruja
Tato Laviera
 Luis Pales Matos
 Pedro Pietri

 Further reading 

 Breaking Ground: Anthology of Puerto Rican Women Writers in New York 1980- 2012 (Abriendo caminos: antología de escritoras puertorriqueñas en Nueva York 1980- 2012), edited by Myrna Nieves.
 Defending Their Own in the Cold: The Cultural Turns of U.S. by Marc Zimmerman.

 References 

Category:Puerto Rico
Category:Poetry