Barbie Ñ and Her Accent

Barbie Ñ was told to stifle her
accent. To stop saying words like focus
because it sounded like fuck us. Was told
she should stop saying niña, pestaña,
and sueño. To make her tongue as flat as
possible. To take those rolling r’s
y ñ’s and put them to sleep or away
inside a walled room without windows
and doors. Barbie Ñ did everything
everyone told her until her mouth grew
so thin she forgot how to make a sound.
She wondered what the big deal even was.
She wondered what was even the point
that she needed to remember, anyway.

Barbie Ñ and Her Nails

Barbie Ñ gets her nails done in colors
reminding her of Puerto Rico’s flag:
red, white, and blue. Somebody tells her
that her nails look like toothpaste. Somebody
tells her her nail polish ought to be clear
as hosed-down sidewalks. Somebody says that
French manicures are the best; acrylic
tips are clearly the prettiest. Barbie
Ñ thinks about trying on gloves. Gloves
just like the ones Audrey Hepburn had on
in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Soft. Silky. Sleek.
Gloves like those’d cover up her nails.
Nobody would even know. Barbie Ñ
thinks of all the money she’d be saving.