i count
by Carole Gilley
i count
142,459 speakers
of “tarasco”
and 298,861 speakers
of otomi
in the 2020 mexican census
wondering how my tongue
would flex against my lips
if i were housed in the numbers
i count
11,800,247 indigenous people
in the 32 regions of mexico
only 15 percent of its population
but i still count
4,975,868 children
of 2,858,588 “referenced people”
veins flooded of ancient blood
under unknowing pale skin
i count
approximately 80 percent of people
in extreme poverty
are indigenous people
the lives they are forced to live
and i count
70 percent of human trafficking victims
are indigenous women
under siege
the lives they are forced to end
i count
the times i have seen posts
of bone faced yelpers
stomping in a vacuum of rhythm
imitating what their lineages destroyed
mixing references that become one
painting of a lost barbarian
on a restaurant wall
i count
the mispronunciations of x’s and tl’s
i count
the hands thrown up in defeat
and the eyes rolled back into skulls
i count
the “why do you care so much”s
and the “does it even matter”s
i count
and i count and
i count
and i count
but i still wonder
if i count.