Author: Anghet Hoppe-Cruz

Angela "Anghet" T. Hoppe-Cruz is a Chamoru originally from Guahan. She currently resides in Makaha on the Leeward Coast of Oahu with her children Ethan and Isa and husband David. Anghet is a faculty member at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa with the Center on Disability Studies. She also works for Mala Ai Opio (MA`O) a youth organic farm in Waianae as the Education Resource Specialist. Her life work is to continue to address health disparities in Pacific Island communities using education as a tool of empowerment or more specifically literature created by Pacific Island peoples and scholars.

Red

Red

My favorite color is
Red.
The color
a pool of blood turns after
breathing in fresh air.
I saw this
Red
For the first time
As he held a knife to her neck.
Red
Bleeding life
The Color of life
I don’t think he meant to hurt her
As he held the knife to her neck.
“Baby girl, grab Daddy a towel”.
I did
“Here daddy.”
Red
Bleeding life
The Color of life
Soaking slowly
into a
Sun Shining
towel
Stained forever
Like me.
Red
Bleeding life
The Color of life
I don’t think they, our
Fathers
meant to really hurt they, our
Mothers.
Or us.
My favorite color is
still
Red
Bleeding Life
The Color of Life
What’s yours?