Ortiz Cofer and Levins Morales express cultural identity through poetry. If we take examples from their poems, They either present themselves as a first-person speaker
Child of the Americas" by Aurora Levins Morales
…”I speak English with passion: it’s the tongue of my consciousness,
a flashing knife blade of crystal, my tool, my craft.
I am Caribeña, island grown. Spanish is my flesh,..”
Or a philosophical speaker
Judith Ortiz Cofer: "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica"
..”she is the Patroness of Exiles,
a woman of no-age who was never pretty,
who spends her days selling canned memories
while listening to the Puerto Ricans complain
that it would be cheaper to fly to San Juan
than to buy a pound of Bustelo coffee here….”
The use of a free verse structure is present in their poems. Imagery describing food and language are widely used with a nostalgic poetic tone, that transports the readers to the most wonderful feelings and emotions using an assertive tone and allusions to their reality.
..”I speak English with passion: it’s the tongue of my consciousness,
a flashing knife blade of crystal, my tool, my craft…”.
…”Mother and Child magnetized
to the top of an ancient register,
the heady mix of smells from the open bins
of dried codfish, the green plantains
hanging in stalks like votive offerings,
