Lisa “Rubi G.” Ventura
Lisa “Rubi G.” Ventura (she/her) is a Washington Heights bred Black Dominican poet, essayist, and author of “Con Qué Papel Me Envuelves La Luna?” Lisa has been published by Dominican Writers, Raising Mothers, Economic Hardship Reporting Program in conjunction with Slate, and Writing The Land. She was interviewed for The Nation’s Going for Broke podcast and documentary series, as well as Refinery29’s Somos. A VONA 2022 alumni and featured poet for the Morris-Jumel Mansion, Lisa’s work has been showcased by Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, The Billie Holiday Theatre, Bold Voice Collaborative, and IDEA Cultural.
Veneration
The bigger the hair,
the louder the elders
I’ve got ancestry pouring
itself out of me
like rays of a sun
like leaves on a flower
like roots buried in soil
toiled with by foremothers
look at me, look at we
a force to be reckoned with
unruly hair and caramelized melanin
evolving like a caterpillar—
can you see my wings?
little brown butterfly
with swirls of unquenchable frizz
you’re transforming with a mat beneath your feet
just like the ancestors dreamed
for thee
The bigger the hair,
the louder the elders
I’ve got ancestors preaching
a word through me.
Bountiful
Shouts of praise for the auburn
hues that dress pavements
at daylight. may the ceaseless
hope and faith of farmers rain
upon me as I humble
myself for the harvest
for I am the crop
that has ripened to maturity
& is ready to be picked.
i have died to the old
& been birthed anew—
buried crops develop
into miraculous beings
that feed and nourish
for you are
what you eat
the sun as my witness
this particular season was made
for shedding skins
& dismantling ancient beliefs
how challenging
how humbling this entire
process is
in solitude
& silence i have been lulled
to sleep & nurtured by soil
nature's clock ringing
so, i must wake
from hibernation in preparation
to move mountains
perhaps,
i am
the mustard seed
i have been
waiting for.