El Pajarito
Verònica Lòpez

The heat is starting to evolve
The smell of wet dirt gives birth to the new day of my vacation
Listening to the chickens cackle, cows mooing and someone in the background saying:
“She is just getting up?”
Abuelita always defending her favorite granddaughter,
“Leave her be.”
Wearing a full slip, housecoat, rubber thongs,
And walking on hard, wet dirt to the cement block out house with the shower;
I yell for Abuelita to come look for lizards, frogs and those big-ass spiders that remain on the wall after they expire.
For relief from the humidity I shower
Change into a new housecoat, full slip, and chonnies
to sit under the mango tree and listen to the stories.

Verònica Lòpez was born and raised in Santa Monica, California; currently she is a sociology major at SMC and is involved with campus activities such as EOPS, Pico Partnership program, Adelante program, Black Collegians program, The Women’s College, and Disability Center. Writing has been a source of therapy for the author.