Spirit of Coquí

Evren Ryu
Oct 16
2 min read

Day 9 – The Song That Never Stopped

On humid nights in Borikén, the air fills with a sound that seems to rise from the soul of the island itself: “co-quí, co-quí.”

To the Taíno, this was not just a frog calling—it was spirit speaking. The coquí was the heartbeat of the land, a living prayer that reminded the people they were never alone. Small but powerful, it sang through rain and storm, declaring survival with every note.

🐸 Born Ready

Unlike most frogs, the coquí bypasses the tadpole stage. It emerges from its egg fully formed—no waiting, no delay. That miracle mirrors the experience of so many of us carrying Borikén in our blood: we’ve had to grow up quickly, to understand worlds that didn’t understand us.

I know that rhythm. I grew up between places, between cultures, between expectations. My skin, my voice, my roots were often questioned—“not quite American, not quite foreign.” Yet the land itself had already taught me how to live beyond definitions.

As a child I caught coquíes, chased iguanas, and felt the pulse of an island that refused to be silenced. That wildness became my teacher. It told me that even when others misunderstand strength, it is still sacred.

🌕 The Coquí and the Soul’s Resilience

The Taíno saw in the coquí a message: Do not disappear when the night grows heavy. Sing louder.

Each call was a ceremony of persistence—a reminder that life finds its way through the smallest bodies and the loudest hearts.

For me, that lesson hums through every drumbeat, every podcast episode, every act of creation. Some may find that energy intimidating, but it is not aggression—it is ancestral coping turned to courage.

💧 Thriving After Survival

Just as the coquí’s voice carries across mountains, our own voices carry across generations. When we claim them—when we write, paint, drum, or pray—we continue the lineage of Taíno resilience.

I no longer sing just to survive.

I sing because survival itself has become art.

I sing because the coquí still does.

🌺

Reflection & Invitation

Listen tonight for whatever “coquí” lives within you—the part that refuses silence.

💫 Ask yourself: Where in my life am I being called to sing louder, to stand rooted in who I am?

Honor that sound.

It’s the same melody that has kept Borikén alive for centuries.

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