Issue No. 6: Food, Nutrition, and Access in Our Communities
Words - Ośunkoya Chavon

En Spanglish

A journey, An adventure 

She wanted it

An eating disorder
La consumía

Yet raised by chefs
and inspired by the colors that always dressed the dinner table after school 
filled with conversations sobre su herencia
y las tradiciones that shaped her family

Learned the ways of herbalism
Learned the spices del Caribe 
Learned el ritmo del cielo

Guisado dulce. Una vida llena
a SunBelly full of ritmo, cultura, medicina

Drawn to the Sun, the adventure began
Drawn out West, she swam and swam 
con su herencia profunda y su nombre fuerte

Stumbled into a health food store
Found peace, found healing, found family

Felt the earth, felt the sand
She swam and swam 
Kissed by the sun
Led by the moon

Sweat turned into therapy 
Kitchen baile turned into chants for home 

Chants pa’ la gente that taught her, that healed her
Y for the people she knew she’d one day heal
Irresistible colors
“You want a plate shuga”

This knowledge need be shared
Ain’t no time to waste
Swam and swam 

They won’t keep us from each other
We are our greatest medicine
Swam and swam 

See… what a time this is we’re in...

Aprenderemos los pasos
Las recetas
las llaves del Sol
Una SunBelly llena 

Llena del dolor que mis ancestros sobrevivieron
Y también de su poder 
Ese poder that we call into our kitchens, into our gardens, into our courtrooms

Sovereignty will be ours. 
Ain’t got nothing but time 
to reclaim
y pa’ aprender de nuevo las reglas de la tierra
Y del cuerpo

See… in whatever way,
and whatever space we need to be in. We gon’ get this healing 
My people will eat. 

and we eatin’ good!

In English

A journey, An adventure

She wanted it

An eating disorder
It consumed her

Yet raised by chefs
and inspired by the colors that always dressed the dinner table after school 
filled with conversations about her heritage
and the traditions that shaped her family

Learned the ways of herbalism
Learned the spices of the Caribbean
Learned the rhythm of the sky

Sweet stew. A full life
a SunBelly full of rhythm, culture, medicine

Drawn to the Sun, the adventure began
Drawn out West, she swam & swam 
with her deep heritage & strong name 

Stumbled into a health food store
Found peace, found healing, found family

Felt the earth, felt the sand
She swam and swam 
Kissed by the sun
Led by the moon

Sweat turned into therapy 
Kitchen dance turned into chants for home 

Chants for the people that taught her, that healed her
and for the people she knew she’d one day heal
Irresistible colors
“You want a plate shuga”

This knowledge need be shared
Ain’t no time to waste
Swam and swam 

They won’t keep us from each other
We are our greatest medicine
Swam and swam 

See...what a time this is we’re in...

We’ll learn the steps 
The recipes
The keys to the sun 
A full SunBelly

Full of the pain that my ancestors went through 
and also full of their power
That power that we call into our kitchens, into our gardens, into our courtrooms

Sovereignty will be ours. 
Ain’t got nothing but time 
to reclaim
and to relearn the ways of the earth
and of the body

See...in whatever way,
and whatever space we need to be in. We gon’ get this healing 
My people will eat. 

and we eatin’ good!