“I am fortunate to be engaged in poetic communication—exchanging postcards, letters, audio messages, and calls with inspiring poets. These interactions shape my work and are woven into my private and public poetic life. The poet Sesshu Foster, whose life blends social activism into his practice, influenced me, urging me to reconsider what it means to speak up, especially in spaces where brown women are ‘invited’ but not fully heard. This poem is an invitation for us to step into our power where we stand and enter every space as our true selves—mindful of those whose lives and voices are being extinguished.” 
—Diana Marie Delgado