From: Poetry in Spanish
Aida
Soy una amalgamación de las mujeres que me precedieron.
En inglés, I only knew my grandma for eight years.
Desde que nací, ella me alimentó con sus recetas caseras,
Con un puré de zanahorias, cebollas, y calabazas she bought from Tops.
Compartir comida es divulgar secretos sin un susurro.
En la lengua del dólar, she wanted to save money on baby food.
Me envuelvo en el azul celeste de una bufanda que ella me hizo
Cuando vi a ella cosiendo y le pedí, make me something!
La tela tejida es la única cosa que tengo para recordarla
O en otras palabras, she never reached out.
La última vez que estuve con mi abuela fue en un Panera Bread
Y le dije que la extrañé y ella sólo tenía un blank look in her eyes.
No perdí a mi abuela, perdí las palabras para describirla.
No, she's still alive.
Soy el nieto de Aida
But, I have no grandma.
Aida
I am an amalgamation of the women who came before me.
In English, I only knew my grandma for eight years.
From my birth, she fed me with her homemade recipes,
With a purée of carrots, onions, and squash she bought from Tops.
To share food is to divulge secrets without a whisper.
In the language of the dollar, she wanted to save money on baby food.
I wrap myself in the sky blue of a scarf she made me
When I saw her sewing and begged her, make me something!
The woven fabric is all I have left to remember her
Or in other words, she never reached out.
The last time I was with my grandma was in a Panera Bread
When I told her that I missed her and she only had a blank look in her eyes.
I didn’t lose my grandma, I lost the words to describe her.
No, she's still alive.
I'm the grandson of Aida.
But, I have no grandma.