Oh Fuck! So... This is Technology...

First of all,

it’s Mom and Amá,

Dad and Apá.

It’s drinking chocomíl for breakfast,

horchata for lunch,

y una coca for dinner.

El paletero on weekends,

los raspados in the summer,

y elotes anytime.

It means eating mangos on a stick,

churros after Mass,

“Chaqui Chis” after Catechism

(y jugando en las maquinitas).

It means going to the buffet for special occasions,

drinking “Chocolate Abuelita” when it’s cold,

and don’t forget el café con leche

en la noche con el panesito on the side.

It’s learning your alphabet

en Mi Libro Majico

y Sesame Street

(pa’ que aprendas tu espelin muy bien).

It means parents working in factories

while going to night school

con la ticher, pa’prender mas inglish

and the constant demands of “traduceme esto.”

It means being 15-years-old;

a woman too young for everything

and too old to look back.

It’s growing up with la Chilindrina to your left

And la Malinche to your right.

It’s La Virgen de Guadalupe on your nightstand,

A Rosary in the car

y persínate when we get on the freeway.

It’s the comforting smell of endless candles

on the altar en el pasillo

(especially the green veladoras of San Judas)

and the 3 or 4 almaneques around the house

to make sure we remember to call relatives

en el día de su santo.

It’s Vicente Fernandez on the radio,

Juan/Ana Gabriel in your dad’s tocadisco

And Maná in your CD player.

It’s growing up singing to los “Biros”

Los Bukis and Luis Miguel.

It’s Grease on DVD and Vaselina on VHS.

It means laughing at Cantiflas and Jim Carrey.

It’s life according to novelas

And love en blanco y negro, like Pedro Infante.

It means inflating la pisina till you’re out of breath,

then filling it with cold water from the green manguera

when it’s warm enough outside,

and enjoying paletas de limón con chile

y red bolis en el summer.

It means carne asada with los tíos (every weekend)

y unas frias en el refri.

It’s uncles having too much to drink

and giving your primitos money to dance

to the tunes of old rancheras and banda.

It’s my primos en el Army

And my brokenhearted tías waiting by the phone (por si

            llaman).

It’s going to la tienda de los Chinos

and buying three calling cards para llamar a la familia).

It means Día de las Madres el 10 de Mayo and

Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May.

It means scraping your knees

to fight for the bolo at your primita’s baptism

and standing in line (shortest to tallest)

to get your bolsita de dulces.

It means staying up to finish los recuerdos

for your sister’s quinceañera

and your prima’s wedding

(which is followed by the comforting nudge of

“no te preocupes, you’re next”).

It means buying the materials in el suapmi

and stopping by the yard sales

(pa’ ver las chacharas).

It means an assembly line for Christmas:

preparing maza, soaking las hojas, guisando, stuffing, wrapping and tying.

Then eating them en la Noche Buena

as we wait for Santo Clos and el Niñito Dios

to come at midnight so we can open our presents.

It means road trips con el lonche en la llelera:

papitas, sanwiches, y sodas,

with five to seven people in the car

(y el portabebé in the middle)

on the way to visit los abuelos for vacation

and everyone saying “que grandota estas” once you get there.

On the way back it means carrying cartones con mecate as luggage

and paquetes de queso if they search you en la pasada.

It’s a new baby in the family every year

(y vamos a la Ross para comprarle algo bonito).

It means Dad and los tíos going to Home Depot

to buy madera for the new fence or tejaban

and living on the same street as your primos.

It means a good spanking

(con la mano, with the chancla, or the leather cinto)

when you’re travieso

prefaced by “te va ‘parecer Juan Diego cuando lleguemos a la casa”

and concluded with “te voy a pegar si sigues llorando.”

It means té de manzanilla,

mejoralitos y penicilina.

Vicks vaporú,

Sana Sana colita de rana

y vamos a que te soben

when you’re sick.

It means blessing before you go to sleep

(pa’ que no te agarre el cucuy cuando hagas mímis)

y que sueñes con los angelios.

            Tan tan.

my brain: you’re doing it wrong

me: what

my brain: YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG

me: be more specific please

my brain: YoU’rE dOiNg It WrOnG

me: i’m not even doing anything

Moon in Earth: Lets be reasonable about this.

Moon in Air: Lets think about it. And stay thinking about it.