Land of the Cranes: List 1

They left Aztlán to fulfill their prophecy:
to build a great city
in the navel of the universe
a small mound in the middle of a lake
where they saw an eagle devour a serpent on a cactus.

They left Aztlán to fulfill their prophecy:
to build a great city
in the navel of the universe
a small mound in the middle of a lake
where they saw an eagle devour a serpent on a cactus.

Papi and I land
on the front yarda
of our duplex
each day.

we lived in Aztlán
among the cranes
and danced
and crooned like trumpets

I watch him hang
my crane poem
on what Mami calls
my “laundry line gallery”
she strung up across
the kitchen window

pruned trees
ripe with fruit
perfect branches
the best for climbing

Then, Mami said,
Quiero rosas for my altar, por favor.

As I stare at Mami’s altar
I notice each time, we are
the brown of this Virgen
the morena of her
painted ceramic skin.

Words like:
intonation or fortune
energy or angle
anguish or freedom
myth or alchemy
are the almost spells
I spell
with ink.

Words like:
intonation or fortune
energy or angle
anguish or freedom
myth or alchemy
are the almost spells
I spell
with ink.

Words like:
intonation or fortune
energy or angle
anguish or freedom
myth or alchemy
are the almost spells
I spell
with ink.

From my cushy bed
Saturday-morning sounds
are a blast of rancheras
swooshing into our house
leftover music from
Omar’s ritual car wash

I bury my face
into Mami's squishy belly
feeling my mouth stretch
into the sappiest jelly grin
as I bounce
along to their
two-step ranchera strides.

I bury my face
into Mami's squishy belly
feeling my mouth stretch
into the sappiest jelly grin
as I bounce
along to their
two-step ranchera strides.

This administration is out to get us.

Papi clears his throat and
almost whispers,
A “sanctuary” is a place where cranes can't get caught.

Tina shows me her Gram page
with all the facial tutorials
she likes and uses me
to test them out.

Then we take pictures and videos of our
slathered green avocado faces
and cucumber eyes

But right now our happiness
is big and wide because she looks like Belle
dancing a waltz with gruff Tío Juan
in her Beauty and the Beast backyard ballroom.

Paper flowers all around the tall rented canopy
yellow ribbons woven into the chain-link fence.

"Cartel,” a cardboard sign
to announce something
as in "for sale”
or "car wash here.”
But also,
a group of men...

We were lucky Tío Juan
petitioned for us
to be here before we knew
of cartels.

When I ask Papi
if the men in cartels
are cranes like us
he says,
It's impossible, Betita
because their souls
are so mangled
they have forgotten
how to be birds.

I take scissors and cut out a square
from his baby-blue pillowcase
tuck the cloth into my blouse
and secure it with a safety pin
near my heart.

I don’t understand
so many words.
“Petition,” “failed to appear,” “political asylum,” “deportation”
only that Papi will be
put on a plane and flown
to Mexico.

I don’t understand
so many words.
“Petition,” “failed to appear,” “political asylum,” “deportation”
only that Papi will be
put on a plane and flown
to Mexico.

It turns out ICE stands for
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It turns out ICE stands for
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It turns out ICE stands for
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

I draw a huge brown nest
with big eyes and long eyelashes
like Mami’s
holding a tiny egg
and me sitting
crisscross applesauce
beside it
like I’m meditating

On a Saturday morning without Papi
Mami and I walk through
our vecindad to catch the bus
to the community clinic
for her checkup
with Sandra, the nurse midwife.

Tío Juan's, Tía Raquel’s,
Tina’s, and Mami’s heads
bounce to accordions and horns.

The freeway is crowded with cars
and too many trucks traveling

I point to the big rigs we are sandwiched between.

She takes my hand and wraps
a string of rosary beads around it.