All is new, I feel the energy of life flowing.
Kept promises.
Listening, learning, growing, moving, embracing, becoming.
The heart and the brain communicate.
Facing tears, solitude, sadness, pains.
Moments of laughter, joy, happiness, gains.
Existence is vibrating.
Setting boundaries .
The plot of life is dreaming, exploring, ongoing.
LIFE is a verb.
Abundance of choices.
Seeking opportunities .
Decisions are costly.
I marvel at the power of words.
Words love. Words hurt.
Words build. Words destroy.
The heartbeat syncs to the rhythm of life.
The legacy of my ancestors is echoing,
Honoring my skin, my hair telling, my place of birth reviling.
Time, unrelenting, bewildering, passes.
Living undeniable, irascible.
My legacy meander, indelible.
Through all this work, what do I have to show?
The fertile soil that is life, neglected.
Some truths remain hidden beneath the surface,
like autumn leaves masking their true color
or the apricity of a winter day offering fleeting warmth.
In the end, what matters? My actions.
The people that stay with love through joy and pain.
If lucky, family and true friends .
I mustn’t forget, my steps hold light, I am stardust, I am infinite, I am divine.
Wanda Vásquez García is a General Music Educator, Children’s Choir Director, Clinician, and published writer. A native of the Dominican Republic now based in Colorado, Wanda brings a multicultural and bilingual lens to her work in music education and storytelling. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, the first university in the Americas, and a Master’s Degree in Music Education with a choral emphasis from the University of Northern Colorado.
Wanda is the co-author of the bilingual children’s book From Across the Street, a story that introduces young readers to the Dominican folkloric music tradition known as Los Palos. In addition to her work as a children’s author, she has contributed articles to national music education publications, where she advocates for culturally responsive teaching, equity, and inclusion in music classrooms.
She currently teaches general music at Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer in Lafayette, Colorado.
Wanda frequently presents at national and regional conferences, sharing strategies for integrating multicultural music, Dominican folk traditions, and technology in elementary music education. Her work empowers educators and students to explore music as a bridge between cultures and identities.
