it comes down
to our vision versus theirs
Our dreams vs theirsand there’s more of Us.osmani ochoa is a queer Mexican-Xicano poet, organizer, and writer whose art centers on migrantfuturism, world-building, and acts of resistance.POETRY FEATURE
“Zapatista spaceship”
Not Your Papi's Utopia: Latinx Visions of Radical Hope, anthology edited by Matthew David Goodwin, Alex Hernández, and Sara Rivera (Mouthfeel Press).
Forthcoming early 2025.
POETRY FEATURE
Asthma (A Self-Portrait)
Cuéntame Literary Magazine, Issue #1, October 2024.
Purple-pink nails
Lips flicker to blue
Gasp for air
Born of asthma
And clubfoot, feet
Twisted, bent
Inverted inward
Downward.
A tía told mom
it is God’s will to accept
That I was 1 of 1000 chosen ones.
But, amá decided to defy
God’s plan, thank god.
Anesthesia
Tender skin
Pierced through.
Major foot reconstruction
Tiny white cast
with pins holding my foot
in place.
The latest Los Bukis song
emanates from dad’s stereo.
I cried to the rhythm
of mucus production
and nostrils widening
Tortured feet
set on fire
by Hernán Cortés.
My breathing stops
until shaken by amá.
Three red tunas appear
from the thorny nopal, now sprouting
from our foreheads
A brown eagle
devours a serpent
towards us.
Birth of a new ending / I was resurrected again.
meet osmani ochoa
Photo credit: Chris Summitt
osmani ochoa (he/they) is a queer Mexican-Xicano poet based in San Antonio, Texas.
His poems navigate landscapes of survival, resistance, and hope, aching for full and unhindered liberation. They tackle wealth inequality, capitalism, migration, climate destruction, racism, colonization, and empire, while offering counter-narratives of resilience grounded in family, love, and community.
"[Osmani’s poetry] reads like a cosmic manifesto. Weaving science-fiction, politics, pop culture, and an alternate history, [his] work is scathing, yet sweet, epic, yet deeply personal. A can't-miss work from a unique voice."
— Pedro Iniguez, author of Mexicans on the Moon: Speculative Poetry from a Possible Future
“Osmani‘s poems take us through landscapes of survival, resistance, and hope… The possibility of a new dream and a new reality bolstered by the bonds of family, love, and community.”
— César L. De León, author of Speaking with Grackles by Soapberry Trees
