Introductions

BY ARI ANA BROWN

i’m ariana &

i’ve been conquered.
child of méxico, africa, usa–
i have someone else’s name.
i was born in a cemetery.
in 1848, frederick douglass
wrote an article condemning
the u.s. conquest of méxico.
i went to the alamo
on a field trip once.
my uncle’s dream
is to own land. his
facebook photo
is him atop a horse. this
is not a joke. a border
blew through me, hooked
my great grandmother’s tooth, dragged
the bones of laredo south
across the river. my great grandmother’s
hometown is built on the bones
of her ancestors. pride is
a strange violence. my
great grandmother’s country
had a black president
in 1829. last name guerrero,
meaning warlike, soldier.
my father was in the air force.
he died flying.
try to tell me the wind don’t speak?
my father died before i was born.
i talk to everyone’s ancestors.
i'm a cotton twirler, shape
shifter, gravedigger. my
curandera says “the earth can
transform anything.”
i be buryin’ shit all the time.
Ariana Brown, "Introductions" from We Are Owed. Copyright © 2021 by Ariana
Brown. Reprinted by permission of Grieveland LLC.
Source: We Are Owed (Grieveland LLC, 2021)
 Introductions
BY ARI ANA BROWN

i’m ariana &

i’ve been conquered.
child of méxico, africa, usa–
i have someone else’s name.
i was born in a cemetery.
in 1848, frederick douglass
wrote an article condemning
the u.s. conquest of méxico.
i went to the alamo
on a field trip once.
my uncle’s dream
is to own land. his
facebook photo
is him atop a horse. this
is not a joke. a border
blew through me, hooked
my great grandmother’s tooth, dragged
the bones of laredo south
across the river. my great grandmother’s
hometown is built on the bones
of her ancestors. pride is
a strange violence. my
great grandmother’s country
had a black president
in 1829. last name guerrero,
meaning warlike, soldier.
my father was in the air force.
he died flying.
try to tell me the wind don’t speak?
my father died before i was born.
i talk to everyone’s ancestors.
i'm a cotton twirler, shape
shifter, gravedigger. my
curandera says “the earth can
transform anything.”
i be buryin’ shit all the time.
Ariana Brown, "Introductions" from We Are Owed. Copyright © 2021 by Ariana
Brown. Reprinted by permission of Grieveland LLC.
Source: We Are Owed (Grieveland LLC, 2021)
 Introductions
BY ARI ANA BROWN

i’m ariana &

i’ve been conquered.
child of méxico, africa, usa–
i have someone else’s name.
i was born in a cemetery.
in 1848, frederick douglass
wrote an article condemning
the u.s. conquest of méxico.
i went to the alamo
on a field trip once.
my uncle’s dream
is to own land. his
facebook photo
is him atop a horse. this
is not a joke. a border
blew through me, hooked
my great grandmother’s tooth, dragged
the bones of laredo south
across the river. my great grandmother’s
hometown is built on the bones
of her ancestors. pride is
a strange violence. my
great grandmother’s country
had a black president
in 1829. last name guerrero,
meaning warlike, soldier.
my father was in the air force.
he died flying.
try to tell me the wind don’t speak?
my father died before i was born.
i talk to everyone’s ancestors.
i'm a cotton twirler, shape
shifter, gravedigger. my
curandera says “the earth can
transform anything.”
i be buryin’ shit all the time.
Ariana Brown, "Introductions" from We Are Owed. Copyright © 2021 by Ariana
Brown. Reprinted by permission of Grieveland LLC.
Source: We Are Owed (Grieveland LLC, 2021)
 Introductions
BY ARI ANA BROWN

i’m ariana &

i’ve been conquered.
child of méxico, africa, usa–
i have someone else’s name.
i was born in a cemetery.
in 1848, frederick douglass
wrote an article condemning
the u.s. conquest of méxico.
i went to the alamo
on a field trip once.
my uncle’s dream
is to own land. his
facebook photo
is him atop a horse. this
is not a joke. a border
blew through me, hooked
my great grandmother’s tooth, dragged
the bones of laredo south
across the river. my great grandmother’s
hometown is built on the bones
of her ancestors. pride is
a strange violence. my
great grandmother’s country
had a black president
in 1829. last name guerrero,
meaning warlike, soldier.
my father was in the air force.
he died flying.
try to tell me the wind don’t speak?
my father died before i was born.
i talk to everyone’s ancestors.
i'm a cotton twirler, shape
shifter, gravedigger. my
curandera says “the earth can
transform anything.”
i be buryin’ shit all the time.
Ariana Brown, "Introductions" from We Are Owed. Copyright © 2021 by Ariana
Brown. Reprinted by permission of Grieveland LLC.
Source: We Are Owed (Grieveland LLC, 2021)
 Introductions
BY ARI ANA BROWN

i’m ariana &

i’ve been conquered.
child of méxico, africa, usa–
i have someone else’s name.
i was born in a cemetery.
in 1848, frederick douglass
wrote an article condemning
the u.s. conquest of méxico.
i went to the alamo
on a field trip once.
my uncle’s dream
is to own land. his
facebook photo
is him atop a horse. this
is not a joke. a border
blew through me, hooked
my great grandmother’s tooth, dragged
the bones of laredo south
across the river. my great grandmother’s
hometown is built on the bones
of her ancestors. pride is
a strange violence. my
great grandmother’s country
had a black president
in 1829. last name guerrero,
meaning warlike, soldier.
my father was in the air force.
he died flying.
try to tell me the wind don’t speak?
my father died before i was born.
i talk to everyone’s ancestors.
i'm a cotton twirler, shape
shifter, gravedigger. my
curandera says “the earth can
transform anything.”
i be buryin’ shit all the time.
Ariana Brown, "Introductions" from We Are Owed. Copyright © 2021 by Ariana
Brown. Reprinted by permission of Grieveland LLC.
Source: We Are Owed (Grieveland LLC, 2021)
 BY ARI ANA BROWN

i’m ariana &

i’ve been conquered.
child of méxico, africa, usa–
i have someone else’s name.
i was born in a cemetery.
in 1848, frederick douglass
wrote an article condemning
the u.s. conquest of méxico.
i went to the alamo
on a field trip once.
my uncle’s dream
is to own land. his
facebook photo
is him atop a horse. this
is not a joke. a border
blew through me, hooked
my great grandmother’s tooth, dragged
the bones of laredo south
across the river. my great grandmother’s
hometown is built on the bones
of her ancestors. pride is
a strange violence. my
great grandmother’s country
had a black president
in 1829. last name guerrero,
meaning warlike, soldier.
my father was in the air force.
he died flying.
try to tell me the wind don’t speak?
my father died before i was born.
i talk to everyone’s ancestors.
i'm a cotton twirler, shape
shifter, gravedigger. my
curandera says “the earth can
transform anything.”
i be buryin’ shit all the time.
Ariana Brown, "Introductions" from We Are Owed. Copyright © 2021 by Ariana
Brown. Reprinted by permission of Grieveland LLC.
Source: We Are Owed (Grieveland LLC, 2021)