Brown van headed south
It’s December
three days, no hotels
only terse curbside dwells
Brown van headed south
a family of six
and anyone else
willing to say farewell
Brown van headed south Ama wore a jean fringe garb in shape of the flag
my head against the star beaded outside
made my cheek a little jagged
she cradled me tight
along with the dollars
discretely wrapped
inside her bra strap
Brown van headed south
to pay for gas
my parents had pedidos
ready for delivery
Brown van headed south
the irony
was the privilege of mobility
Brown van headed south
enjoying the colors and smells
as we pass different peripheries
Brown van headed south
made it safely through
La Rumorosa
from there the road is firm
Brown van headed south
weeks worth of homework
because
grape field seasons
don’t correspond
with school terms
Brown van headed south
moonlit streets
sharing ghost stories
my imagination ran
like sharp
wavy
roads
with
turns
curvy
Brown van headed south
three cassettes on full blast
Tigres
Tucanes
Temerarios
Brown van headed south
budget the mordidas
charged to Paisanos
Brown van headed south
before Calderon
we drove
through the coast
for mariscos
Brown van arrived at homeland
my mom cries wildly
when she sees Abuelita
we arrived finally
Brown van leaving homeland
gotta go
tears flow again
si dios nos da licencia
see you next year
Brown van headed north
will it take us
back
across
frontier?
Brown van headed north
stranded on the desert shoulder
a popped tire
or
empty gas tank
I can’t remember
Brown van headed home
how many
young family
dreams
did you hold
through
these
December
colds?
J.Mar
JMar 