through this piece i wish to tell the story of the beautiful island of vieques, puerto rico, that i was blessed to visit. i took several different defining characteristics of the island and made them into short digestible poems to encapsulate their importance in either the make or break of this island that many call home.

i wanted to tackle bigger topics from the stance of a visitor, such as the long-lasting effects of colonization, military power, and gentrification. these topics are often seen as taboo but there is great significance in talking about them. in vieques, and many other places around the world, this is reality and the people who call these places home are not able to just ignore it.

vieques has a unique story. the island was used for us military weaponry practice for years which left the island in a state of trauma. parts of the island are even closed to natives because they house bombs that have not been detonated.

the number of bombs on the island is unknown, so access is limited for safety purposes. looking back on my trip i can truly say that i was blessed to see the complex relationships that held the island together despite the trauma it has endured. observing nature and humans work side by side to help rehabilitate their home was a beautiful testament to ecological restoration and land rehabilition.

my goal for this piece is to guide you through the elements of vieques that stood out to me, and i hope that by reading this you can see vieques through my eyes. 

click on the presentation below to read the full story!