How do you feel and
When are you due and
How are you sleeping and
Will you breastfeed and
How many more do you want and
What is his name and –
“Oh, honey, people like me will say Alias!” she dared.
Before he could take a breathe, you traded
his dignity for your neat
bow of normal and turned
my joy to dread.
Elías, mi niño, does not have to bow to your stare,
ensure your comfort at the table and stand
on the sidelines of your snare.
Porque having a Latina mami and white dad
means he must navigate between tios and aunts
between la sala and the den
between tortas and tuna.
Give mi niño safe spaces and
empower him and
value his worth and
amplify his voice and
encourage his identidad and
seek to understand.
Inspiration for this poem form can be found here.
This is raw, and beautiful, and so so powerful. Elías, you have a mama bear of a mami. Treasure her always.
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