Beyond their margins

Áleris S. Ortiz Cintrón
Departamento de Biología
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, UPR RP

Recibido: 13/03/2026; Revisado: 04/05/2026; Aceptado: 13/05/2026

I was born into a sentence that I did not write; 
already punctuated, with spaces too narrow for my own will.  
Word by word, I must read it silently. 
Shoulders straight, legs crossed, I learn to sit still.  

Destined to remain closed and disguised with weakness, 
my book’s cover was delicately designed. 
Barren shelves seek heirs to the unspoken, 
queens without a throne to remember, their stories lacking a spine. 

You may borrow my turn, but I own its potential. 
Kneeling and crawling for a whisper of acceptance, 
I claim my bruises as a result of my freedom; 
to be worth more and given less is my inherited sentence.  

I dream of mahogany framed degrees, but also late-night lullabies, 
a golden ring on his hand as well as mine, 
to give my sacred body, to give my restless mind, 
both selfish and selfless, paradoxically intertwined. 

Rest assured, beyond skin and bone, my legacy will be known. 
Through the fences drawn, to forge its path is my prerogative. 
Whether I bare new life or just the breath of my own, 
I speak for all women; color me provocative. 

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Posted on May 20, 2026 by CRiiAS.