Sophia Martinez
I vaguely remember a time
when I could see the clouds in the sky,
the gentle shades of white and blue
just like our flag.
Now when I look up I am greeted
by the lurid yellow body of the banana spider
its eight legs outstretched throughout the land
overseeing its precious ‘Republic.’
I never knew a word could be so humiliating.
Everyday it is harder and harder
to distinguish the dark, native soil
from the spider’s extraneous limbs and eyes.
For every spangled import and export
is an acrid reminder of our contrived subservience,
of this sticky, unrequited business trap
we cannot seem to break free from.
We lay paralyzed,
ensnared in empty words
and gold-rimmed silk strands,
as the spider ravishes
our fruits, our labor.
Our leader on puppet strings,
his wooden eyes are fixed,
unblinking and unseeing,
to the preying of his people.
So we must bow
to the great banana spider,
the U.S’s yellow soldier of fortune.
All hail the great American monopoly.
–
Sophia Martinez is an aspiring writer and poet who is starting her junior year in high school this fall. A lot of her poems are inspired by her personal experiences and feelings especially surrounding mental health. Sophia also loves history, so many of her poems are inspired by historical events.
Diamond Gazette 