today at tumblewordsproject

puro border puro babble


la cultura fronteriza es bien rica
el idioma fronterizo es spanglish
the clerks en el centro hablan koreano y espanol
las mesadoras en el otro llado hablan espanol y ingles
the artists speak english but swear in spanish
las chicanitas are afraid to got to Juarez
the West Siders are afraid of El Segundo
los tecatos hang on corners and teach college
las cholitas grow up to be secretaries and lawyers
outlaws run for the border and die in El Paso
Johnny Cash got high and got busted in El Paso
Steve McQueen came to die in Juarez
rich ladies drive over the bridge for viagra and cocktails
poor girls walk over the bridge to clean house and watch kids
los pobres sell l trinkets in Juarez and demand tu cambio in El Paso

I was born between cotton fields up north in Twitty Texas
pero tu sabes yo soy fronteriza bien hecha sin embargo
from a satellite the Texas Panhandle might as well be la frontera
just look at a map of the American hemisphere and see for yourself
so I am from here but not from here
ni de aqui ni de alla it’s true
but some cotton chopper cut my roots in Twitty
and I left parts of my spirit in Burke and Navajo
los campesinos planted chunks of me in Mesilla and Hatch
what’s left of me blows in the winds aqui en la frontera of El Paso

written today at Tumblewords Project, as yet unedited. The presenter today, Ahmit Ghosh, and Border Senses, his literary group, are collecting pieces that address or illustrate life on the border between Mexico and the USA. Today, he asked us to write something related to our (the writers') personal experience or observation.