You are prettier when you are quiet

By Angelina Sáenz
I am a feminist who loves my sport
and the machismo in charrería often gets to me

To be clear
I am not talking about my father, brothers,
husband, or trainer—
who respect, encourage, and support me

I am talking about the men
who want me
to keep my mouth shut

I am supposed to sit pretty
and accept
that I don’t have a voice

I tell myself to get used to it
like white noise in the background

and then something reminds me again
of how women
are second-class citizens in this sport
and I want to fight back

My dad tells me not to say anything
He does not want to give anyone
the opportunity to disrespect me

The escaramuzas need to come together
If we combine the strength
and unity of our teams
we will get the vote

I hope and pray
that one day
we will get past this
and we will have a voice

Notes:

This poem is part of the portfolio “Escaramuza, the Poetics of Home.” You can read the rest of the portfolio in the April 2025 issue. 

Source: Poetry (April 2025)
  • Article

    poetry-magazine

    Introduction: Escaramuza, the Poetics of Home

    By Constance Jaeggi

    This folio pairs my photographic portraits of US-based escaramuzas with commissioned poetry by the Mexican American poets ire’ne lara silva and Angelina Sáenz.