Las piedras en México tienen historia. They’re jagged and rough. Shapely in all sorts of colors and sizes. Smooth to the touch. Rough to the grasp. Sturdy. They tell the story of generations gone by, of old men playing their instruments and singing their música de vara, of old women […]
refranes
Translating For My Parents
At times I didn’t want to translate. It was embarrassing to be the interpreter. To not understand what that person was saying or how exactly it was my parents wanted me to convey their message. It was unnerving, uncomfortable, even shameful. The way people would look at me sometimes. The […]
Lessons From My Mother
My mother has always been a strong woman. Much stronger than any of us could have ever imagined, I think. She was the one who crossed the Rio Bravo with a child on each arm, my brother Chuy in one, me on the other, sitting on nothing more than a […]
The Importance Of Reader Mail
There’s something to be said about reader mail. I’ve often thought this, but never had the nerve to write about it… until today. You see, to hear myself utter the words “reader mail” in it of itself sounds pretentious to me. Como aquel que se cree demasiado, o el otro […]
¡No Te Rajes! Don’t Give Up
This is not a sob story. We were young. We were poor. And we were frugal. We knew how to stretch a dollar. And how to make a few dollars out of a dozen or so tortillas, tacos or tamales. A little effort. A little dose of creativity. And most […]
Conversaciones Con Mi Hermano Over Banana Splits
He was Yin and I was Yang. Since we were kids, it’s always been that way. Just a whole 15 months apart, my older brother and I have always been polar opposites. He, my father’s right hand, at his side pretty much from the very beginning. Me, always preferring the […]
My Anti-Presentimiento Remedio-Ritual
It’s an awful feeling, right there in the pit of your stomach, twisting and turning, telling you “something is wrong, something bad is about to happen,” although you haven’t a clue what, or two whom. Nothing is worse! You want to do something, stop something, or at the very least […]
Pickles, Calletana And The Coyote
My uncle had a friend whose name was Calletana. She was short and dark with medium length hair, black, with a wave right at the spot where it ran into her shoulders, straight, but kind of crazy at the same time. The rest of her features, just as feminine and […]