Peace to Pedro Pietri

"Extinction is not on our agenda," he said. "There is no assimilation for us. It is possible to be on two islands at the same time. That is why we are here."

{Pedro Pietri, quoted by David Gonzalez, "When Life Is Art, Dying is Simply Not an Option," The New York Times, 27 January 2004}

*

"Juan
Miguel
Milagros
Olga
Manuel
will right now be doing their own thing
where beautiful people sing
and dance and work together
where the wind is a stranger
to miserable weather conditions
where you do not need a dictionary
to communicate with your people
Aquí Se Habla Español all the time
Aquí you salute your flag first
Aquí there are no dial soap commericals
Aquí everybody smells good
Aquí tv dinners do not have a future
Aquí the men and women admire desire
and never get tired of each other
Aquí Que Pasó Power is what's happening
Aquí to be called negrito
means to be called LOVE"

{Pedro Pietri, "Puerto Rican Obituary," 1973}