Drumming the Beat to Our Emotions

Poetry by Two Inspiring Garifuna Poets

Mirta Alicia Castillo and Jose Valentin are two poets with a distinguished lineage from St. Vincent (Garifuna), prior residents of Honduras, and both are currently residing in the United States. Mirta Alicia Castillo shares her experiences and storms of life through poetry, stemming from heartbreaks, rekindling with love, discrimination, culture, and celebration of life. She shares grieving the death of her parents who both died the same year, four months apart, and immediately leading her into separation from a childless tenured marriage and the grueling pain it caused. Loving deeply and having to let go, prevented further anguish, deceptions and gave her the time to grieve the death of her parents, by which she did not get a chance to do , with all other stressors taking a toll on her. Through all the pain she underwent, God had other plans for Mirta Alicia. See what God had in store for her in the midst of the storms of her life? Her lifetime experience proved that God was always in the midst as she prevailed and came out victorious! Joining forces for the love of poetry, Jose Valentin underwent different struggles as a Garifuna man born and raised in the United States. Discrimination, examining his Garifuna roots in comparison to Garifuna born in Central America and the opportunities life offered him in America, taught him to appreciate and treasure everything he had in comparison to Central American way of life on many of his visits. Mr. Valentin's poems reflect struggles and obstacles minorities face growing up in the inner city. Enduring the unfair practices of some members of society propelled Jose to openly write about circumstances in urban environments. His experiences helped him pursue legal education. He is currently working as a counselor with refugee youth. The position allows him to provide a path for the youth's future.