Featured Art by: Alan Onix
Edited by: Bianca Huntley Ortega
Asi Es
Fíjate como es la vida
Cuando uno no tiene algún plan fijo para volar a un mundo lejano
Ni alguna simple táctica definida para marcharse a un país extraño
Pero las estrellas saben
Fíjate cómo nos pasan las cosas
Cuando no le tememos a ningún reto, ni miedo al mar, o a volar
Ni mucho menos al desierto aunque traicione y con poco para andar
Pero la luna y el sol saben
Fíjate cómo aprende uno
Cuando no tenemos la menor idea de cual manera vamos a sobresalir
Ni las conexiones de un empresario pero ya ni modo por que hay que seguir
Y eso con suerte se sabe
In this poem, Ana draws a parallel between her time outside of the U.S. and her father’s immigration journey. Her father was 24 years old when he immigrated to the U.S. with a group of migrants. Ana was the same age as her father when she temporarily relocated to the Dominican Republic.
WIC
It’s the middle of the month
Time to go trade in the food points
Got our shiny new WIC card
And saved up all of the big coins
First stop is the laundromat
Where I’ll play with the carts
We’ll pass the time eating Now & Laters
Hoping our colchas won’t get destroyed
Next stop is the food market on the other side of the highway
Compton’s never been our home
But it’s the place that has more stores that accept EBT
The baby needs special formula
We wish we could have the expensive cereal
But we’ve all gotta have enough to grow tall and strong
The front of the store has hand painted signs
We’ll get a mix of nutrients on sale and those that are allowed
“Esperense a que vayamos al mercado”
We still need sopa de coditos and queso fresco
Maybe there I can convince mi mama to get lucky charms
Or al menos some hot cheetos or a churro
Al fin, our last stop is the St. Vincent
Maybe look for old treasures
While mi mama goes in we’ll go on a search
Leave the baby in the cart
Stay at the front and dig through the bread wagon
The Market Pantry labels say that they all expired
but that’s alright we’ll pick the mold out
The best bread is rarely found
The cinnamon raisin toast is what we’re all about
And when we find it, it feels like Navidad
It’s the middle of month
It’s going to be a long day
This piece pans out a typical shopping trip in Ana’s childhood. In her family of five, they had to meticulously plan their driving route to save on gas, buy staple items with WIC, an assistance program, while also enjoying the traditional items of a Mexican household, like tortillas de maiz.
Bling Bling
My rings, my bling, my shiny rings
Kept in a suede bag
Tied ’em up right
Para cualquier día, cualquier noche
Shined ’em up bright
Sellados con un solo broche
My things, my bling, my expensive things
Guardados for when I can brag
Got ’em ready for a fight
Some still with a tag
I feel like I’m going to be alright
My joyas, my cosas, my shiny joyas
Stored under the bed
In case you’re looking for fast cash
Stay here with me instead
Deep down I know that these anillos won’t last
My investment, my seguridad, my sure investment
I’ve saved up my checks
Drive to walmart to cash ’em in
Not trying to flex
But this is the best I’ve been
Saved for a day when I’ll need the extra cash flow
Might be wearing these rings to distract you from these hoes
Pero más bien for that day
Just in case we don’t get paid
My hard earned gold, my tesoro, my gold
With my name on a chain
My birthstone se ve muy bien
With nowhere to guardar this suede bag
You’re looking for small change
Maldigo el día that you discovered this mierda
No one but myself to blame
Que paso with the cash exchange?
Left with nothing, what a shame
‘Bling Bling’ spotlights the mental and financial burden women carry when they have partners who are using substances. The cycle of addiction necessitates different sources of income and sometimes, unfortunately, that source is stolen jewelry from the ones we love the most.
For You
In my heart I know you’ll be as rambunctious as I once was
Menacing the classroom with your unpredictable antics but making them laugh
Por que de eso eres capaz
For you I want the freedom to run, as far as you can see- without a worry of anyone or any dangers that could be
For you I want the freedom to roam, without a concern that you may run into danger at any wrong turn
For you I want the freedom to scream, whenever you see an injustice or some wrongdoing that you simply can’t dismiss
For you I want the freedom to draw, paint the town red as you please
We weren’t granted the freedom of safe homes
We weren’t guaranteed a night free of shootings
We weren’t made with unbreakable bones
Those cohetes or some trouble brewing?
For you, I don’t want you to know those sounds
You don’t deserve to be fraught with fear
Thinking that only danger is abound
You deserve to be a kid. One that is curious and loud.
Tagging your name so that maybe everyone who sees will understand the freedom we all deserved but weren’t granted
For you, I want you to get lost in the world
Feeling safe to ir y venir from our home
For you, I want what every kid has a right to
Even if it’s a distant dream for some
Ana reflects on the changes she would like to see and work towards when it comes time to raise her family. She’s a strong believer of words and encourages folks to not refer to neighborhoods as ‘ghettos’ or ‘shit neighborhoods’. Our communities are in need of an immeasurable amount of healing and those changes begin with how we refer to our homes.
Safe Space
My safe space is that space that we’ve all seen
The space between the floor and the ledge
The space that’s just in between
The space where I can’t see
My safe space is far enough away from them
The space beside the cold concrete wall
The space donde ellos no están
The space where there is no harm
My safe space is any other life but this very one
The space inside my grown but young mind
The space that one can’t seem to find
The space where there’s no mal done
My safe space is that insecurity we can’t hide from
The space afuera where we all will elevate
The space where kids can play on lawns
The space we can’t abandonar for our sake
Safe Space outlines the lasting effects of growing up in a neighborhood that is over-policed with neighbors constantly being pitted towards one another due to lack of resources, support, and adequate representation.
Ana Frausto is currently reacclimating to her home country, the U.S. by serving in Chicago as a Health Educator. Learning from an early age the beauty of poetry thanks to her mama, Ana didn’t tap into her writing until she was a world away from her first language in South Korea. It was here where she was able to work on this gift through the help of fellow writers via a poetry group. These conversations helped her reflect on lived experiences such as family separation and immigration. Ana’s inspiration is in those who do the work to change the world, whether by taking a small step or by being a part of the sweeping movement our gente are in dire need of.