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hopedihop's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful, Powerful, Strong.
You are the sweetest fruit.
You are the sweetest fruit.
r0b3rta's review against another edition
5.0
I felt like Yesika was reading the poems out loud. I appreciate Not a Cult for publishing this book of poetry. My family is from El Salvador, & I live in LA, so it's wonderful to read a book of poetry by someone with similar experiences. I look forward to reading more of Yesika's books.
priyankad's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
reb_bunny's review against another edition
5.0
This was beautiful to read. I wanted to go slow so it would last and I wanted to read it fast, to know how she would express my feelings next. We're both 2nd generation immigrant women, she's from Salvador, I'm from Venezuela, she lives in United States, I live in Canada. Still, she put words on the experience of this distinct identify, owning both cultures, both languages. Of missing family back home, everything about the chismes, the love, the joy, the sadness, nostalgia and more.
On the notion of family :
"in our family,
grandmothers are God
you come to them with hands extended
thankful and in awe
they survive all
become the only constant
the compass of our entire tribe
the men, they all die early
but God
sweeps up her porch
coils the long braid of her hair
into a knot held
at the nape of her neck
and stretches her arm wide
when everyone comes
home
one more time"
On being gone for so long :
"tengo ocho años de no ir al Salvador
I've been told it's too dangerous now
y ya no me acuerdo de las milpas
I can't taste the mangoes anymore
o del mar
or the dirt beneath my toes
y tal vez ya no soy de allá"
On having to be tough even if you don't want to be :
-brown women, we've had to learn to be mean. to be sharp tongue and sharper teeth. I wasn't born tough. I was soft a long time. but I did inherit a mouth that never stops. I can talk my way out of any room, into any heart. what to do with this kind of power? how to keep it from going bad? every day I wake up, I say to myself "be good. be good. be good." sometimes. I'm not and I think about it for weeks.-
I will read again for sure and excited to discover the rest of her art !
On the notion of family :
"in our family,
grandmothers are God
you come to them with hands extended
thankful and in awe
they survive all
become the only constant
the compass of our entire tribe
the men, they all die early
but God
sweeps up her porch
coils the long braid of her hair
into a knot held
at the nape of her neck
and stretches her arm wide
when everyone comes
home
one more time"
On being gone for so long :
"tengo ocho años de no ir al Salvador
I've been told it's too dangerous now
y ya no me acuerdo de las milpas
I can't taste the mangoes anymore
o del mar
or the dirt beneath my toes
y tal vez ya no soy de allá"
On having to be tough even if you don't want to be :
-brown women, we've had to learn to be mean. to be sharp tongue and sharper teeth. I wasn't born tough. I was soft a long time. but I did inherit a mouth that never stops. I can talk my way out of any room, into any heart. what to do with this kind of power? how to keep it from going bad? every day I wake up, I say to myself "be good. be good. be good." sometimes. I'm not and I think about it for weeks.-
I will read again for sure and excited to discover the rest of her art !
xread_write_repeatx's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Miscarriage, and Rape
amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This poetry is sharp and delicate. I loved how the Spanish wasn't translated. I appreciated the meditation on grief and trauma. I will be reading more from this author.