A History of Western Music

Why is it acceptable for you to look at me like I'm crazy
choosing to write about a
Mexicana
when ordered to write an essay on a Baroque composer?

"There were some good composers in Mexico. I know some of them.
Who did you choose to write about? What's his name?"
"HER name," I correct you.
"A woman? In Mexico?! During the Baroque Era?"

And I want to scream and laugh at the same time.
What did you think
Mujeres did in Mexico
throughout history
today?
just walk around pregnant, making tortillas?
And after you are informed of the existence
of a Mexicana Baroque composer
you are no longer interested in HER name

"Well, has any of her work been published?"
"Yes"

and you walked away
as if even though she made it into
the dominant culture's significance of a musician
there was no more to be said
I want to slap you,
my teacher,
whom I thought there was more to than just a university educated brain
able to spit out memorized facts
deemed significant by a patriarchal world

I sit,
struggling through your Music History exam
which does not include Mexicans of any gender into consideration
and all I can think of is
WHY?!

Why must I program my brain
as yours
and thousands of music teachers and scholars before you,
to see only music of white, male, Western
significant?

When I can spit out the "significant" fact
will I then be deemed significant?
Can I?
For I am a
woman
queer
Chicana
probably a Mexican in your programmed brain
not even published
YET.

I realize my anger and disappointment is not against you
even though you have become an easy target,
rather
against the society that
encourages you to ignore me
my people
and reinforces your ignorance
with prestigious titles and a good salary
because you are able to
vomit out facts
from your brain-washed
"educated" memory
that attempt to convince me
of my
invisibility.