02 Jul

Poetry – Andrew Navarro

Spanish
by Andrew Navarro

My mom often tells me
how as children
for a while
we were good friends.

But that was before
the first grade.
Before the burnet
speech therapist
clipped the tip
of my tongue
like a
bird’s wing.

Because you stopped
playing with me Spanish.
Said it was because I couldn’t
roll my r’s and couldn’t say
your words the same anymore.

Yet, I tried. Every night
my angry tongue struck
the roof of my mouth
clenching flint stone
to try to reignite the pit
filled with ash covered bones
of my ancestors behind my teeth
with orange flames again

But I only managed to reopen
my oral scabbed wounds
and I learned every night Spanish
how your words taste of blood.

 

 

Drowned Children
by Andrew Navarro

A sea is the best way
I can describe life
to my students.
A large dark blue body
of uncharted opportunity
that we gotta ride through
in order to build our
separate worlds
atop islands of stability
sprinkled all over
the cold flesh of salt water.

And man believe me when
I tell you It’s cold. So don’t
teeter too close to the edge
of conventional wisdom
keep your head about you
and you’ll soon find
dry land to build a home on.

But there have been those
rare few who don’t
seem to care about drowning.
Who question if you
could really grow a beautiful dream
in dirt. Rare
few that I’ve lost,
that chose
to dive into the waters
in search of treasure
of gold, and jewels.
To wander the jagged
ocean floors of the abyss
with all the other drowned children.

_________________
Andrew Navarro is a lifelong resident of the Inland Empire, a teacher in Moreno Valley, married, and has a passion for writing.