For Mami

For Mami

By Diana Sánchez

I listen closely to the tales you speak 

I wander around the lands and the streets you’ve painted

I feel the cool river beneath my feet 

I smell the maíz you carried so high above your head

I’ve listened closely for 20 years now 

Yet, I still seem to blur the names of the towns 

And the names of the people you once knew

I wish to navigate the childhood you dream about 

I wish to see your journey to me 

But I know that even after 20 more years, 

I’ll still never know 

This is your story, 

One that belongs solely to you

Intertwined with that of your parents, your siblings, your children, your friends 

It seems all your relationships have come with sacrifices

I yearn to give you something with no strings attached

But sadly, our world is made of one sole long thread

The same thread you used to sew a million garments, 

Or the symbols of your home’s history, 

Is the thread that ties us all back to Flores, La Lima, Amarateca, 

Savage Rd., and Springvale