Pensamientos trenzados
in Spanish
in English
Intertwined.
No getting away from one or the other
hating both
loving both
not understanding either
I think in English
but dream in Spanish
I pray in Spanish
but play in English

Como las trenzas que mi mami me hacia
amarrados con listones de colores.

Piñata head!
Me grita Omar.
Fuck you with my middle finger
le abiento sin pensar.
Followed by a quick lash of my pink wet tongue sticking out in the air.

"Chispas"
Me cacharon.
La yard duty what’s her name?
Gwen’s mom.
"Hey play nice!" Me grita.
For a quick second I think
Here it comes detention slip.
Third time this week
Mama ya me dijo que si le vuelvo a llevar otra
This time she’s going to tell dad.

He started it.

“Si, claro alguien mas siempre empieza,
Pero tu nunca”
Me regana as she brushes my hair back to a
slick, clean, tight pony tail.
And then a trenza.

Always a trenza.
I ask for one.
I am too cool for two.

And she knows better
Porque luego the boys just pull them
Y claro que no me dejo.

Pero no, the round, plumpy
Yard duty
Como se llama?
She’s got lots of freckles.
So does he kid. She’s in my grade.
She looks real mean, but she’s not.
I guess she didn’t see me.
So I look down make a sad puppy face and prepare to run off.

"But teacher she said
fuck you to me, she went like this"
and he throws up his middle finger
I look at her
tears dwelling up.
A silent "no I didn’t".

Run along kids….
And I run.
But not before
Signing chinga tu madre in Spanish.
I got that one from mom.

Once I over heard her tell her friend Gloria how
Vero,
la mudita from her hometown in
Puentecillas, Jalisco.
Would get mad at the kids in school because they would tease her
humming and signing ways

"she'd fist up her hand like this,
bend it over hitting the side of her rib cage,
Hingen hu hange hangones! she would cry"

He aims to kick me, put I am too fast.
He grabs my cola. My trenza.
This time Mrs.Yard duty see’s him.
He gets detention.
I sit and cry.
He ruined my hair
Now I look ugly
and it's picture day.