Is That What He Sees — ¿Soy Yo?
Sung by Aldonza
VERSO 1
The water in the basin stills,
though my two hands will not be calm—
not the cold that makes me shiver,
something older, something warm.
I have scrubbed this stone since childhood,
never once stopped still to see
what looks back when the surface settles…
tell me — is it me?
PREESTRIBILLO
He looked at me like I was someone
standing just behind my face—
not the girl the square goes laughing of,
but a name I can’t yet place.
ESTRIBILLO
¿Soy yo? — is that her, truly her,
the one he swears he sees?
Ah… ¿será? — could it be true,
or only what he needs to believe?
If she’s in here, beneath the dust and doubt,
let the water show me out—
¿soy yo? Am I the one,
or just a girl pretending to be?
VERSO 2
I built these walls from market laughter,
from the names they sling behind my back—
fortress made of other people’s choosing,
gate I never learned to crack.
You say you carry secrets also,
hidden where no eyes can reach—
maybe yours and mine are kindred,
maybe that’s the bridge, not breach.
PUENTE
Where the well meets the worn-down road,
where the bread gets broken at the door—
there’s a girl who’s always been there,
waiting since before.
Set the basin down, Aldonza.
Ah… there it is.
I am found.
ESTRIBILLO FINAL
Soy yo. It’s her — it’s truly her,
not the one they swore I’d be.
He didn’t make me. He just noticed
what was buried under me.
No more candlelight, no veil, no asking—
say it plain, say it whole:
Soy yo. I am the one,
and I was always free.
