Poem by: Resident Poet Katrina Machetta of The Heritage Society ©2021, Katrina Machetta, All rights reserved.

“Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope”

From the touch of the language to the delight of every quinceanera,

We remember our ancestors, those who came before us, reflecting on all of their contributions: generations of sacrifices, the sweat of every struggle and triumph, and bring history alive through every fiesta and family gathering.

We sing the world into our songs of Mariachi and the world sees our grace through our bond with every generation.

We are bonded through sisterhood and the brotherhood pillars of strong men.

Our bond expands beyond state lines and deeper than the Gulf of Mexico.

In the midst of silence, whispers of hope float in the air - Esperanza (hope in Spanish).

Every year is a wave in the ocean of our heritage from Tex-Mex murals to family-owned restaurants.

This month is not here to celebrate one of us but all of us.

We all gather for our rich heritage to celebrate our resilience and vision of a bright tomorrowproverbs and stories passed down like a torch from one generation to the next.

We come from a line of artists, activists, teachers, and more.

We paint color in every generation.

We walk unified among every culture, ethnicity, and group of people.

We gallop along, educating others through our contributions, poetry, and works of art to show them history being born again and created in new ways through the Hispanic Heritage commemoration.

©2021, Katrina Machetta, All rights reserved.

About Our Poet-in-Residence

Katrina Machetta is a member of the City of Houston’s premier youth poetry Meta-Four team. She is the 2021 Grand Slam Champion of the Space City Slam Series, representing Houston at the International Brave New Voices with the Meta-Four. She is a spoken word poet, writer, journalist, and community advocate. Her work has been featured on local and national stages. She aspires to evoke passion and intellect in her writing to create a more vibrant world.

She is a recipient of numerous awards such as:

• the Congressional Gold Award,

• Yale Bassett Award by Yale University’s Center for the Study of Race,

• Featured by Klein ISD for Yale Bassett Award recipient,

• Poetry Society of Texas Award,

• Presidential Service Award,

• Excellence in Journalism Award,

• People’s Choice Award for her piece “Preserving our Future by our Actions Today,”

• The Statesman front cover "Meet the Future Presidents",

• Rotary Youth Leadership Award, and

• Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Key Awards.

She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Legacy Press, President and Communications Director for Miss STEM International, Cofounder of Auteur Magazine, President of the Creative Writing Club on campus, Student Leader of Klein ISD Family Serves, Teen Council Representative of the Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston (CAMH), and the Superintendent’s Student Leadership Council, among others.

She looks forward to contributing poems about Houston history which will be featured on this page for your enjoyment.

“Happy Birthday Houston”

@2021, Katrina Machetta, All rights reserved

Born in the banks of Buffalo Bayou

on the thirtieth of August of eighteen thirty-six,

the land whispers prosperity.

 Since then,

you have given birth to thousands and millions

of brave and mighty Houstonians

who toiled day and night,

building pillars

where skyscrapers graced the sky,

embraced and blessed by abundant sunlight

and natural resources.

You have welcomed the world with open arms.

John and Augustus Allen laid the groundwork.

They have built a dream,

and we,

the co-creators alike,

witness the view of all that has been created on the land we call home.

As the Buffalo Bayou waves at pedestrians in modern-day Houston,

the city lies awake,

bright at night

as the gleaming stars light the path for the American Dream.

Every day is a step forward.

As we keep going,

we are gifted a promise,

witnessing movements,

creating change,

and traveling past inequities.

Brothers and sisters,

H-Town has survived and thrived from Alison, and Harvey to Covid-19.

The perils of the past bring hopes and dreams

of a vibrant tomorrow.

H-Town has come so far,

triumphantly with a rich history,

a vision and excitement for a beautiful tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Houston.

“Together We Stand,

Apart We Fall”

©2021, Katrina Machetta, All rights reserved.

By Poet Katrina Machetta. Wonderfully written with meaningful purpose and incredible insight for the historic event on May 28, 2021, “Celebrating 6,000 African American Suffragists Who Voted 100 Years Ago”

Every vote is a voice.

For 100 years, we have had our voices heard,

although at times muted and distorted.

Now is not the time to stand still

because we are just getting started.

One piece of paper.

One act of legislation.

It doesn’t define who we are or what we can be.

This is America.

The land of the free.

Where everyday women are breaking through chains,

walking through lava,

parachuting through the clouds,

to go places we have never gone before.

Women are champions of change.

Color shouldn’t define what is at the end of a person’s rainbow.

Gender shouldn’t be a reason for someone

 to say they can or can’t.

Houstonians stand together

from Harvey to Covid-19

from Downtown to Uptown

from you to me.

Take my hand and join me.

As we march forward in our movement where every person matters

no matter what color or gender they are,

where they came from,

or how they got here.

This world is like a book.

Every person is a different chapter,

 all bind together,

all created to make a difference,

but only we can choose what we put on the page.

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