-Señor Barragan
I can’t remember a birthday without the fear of tres leches juice up my nose
The whole crowd screaming que le muerda
The little ones slowly sneaking up behind you
Tiny Traitors
My brother started buying two cakes- “just in case”
A strange action for one who grew up with no food
We don’t even know how this all got started
I wonder who was the first to see an unsuspecting face violently smash a cake, and say
“I want to do that to someone I love”
This is the only tradition we have left
Back home it was different
In the diaspora and search for freedom we sacrificed enough I suppose
My familia doesn’t look forward to any holiday
My mother sleeps before el grito because she has work the next morning
No muertito to visit at the local panteon
The Reyes Magos don’t come after the new year
There is no mouse to pay me for my dientes full of caries
On el cinco we scoff at the companies trying to sell us junk, and then buy it
No fiestas for any santito
Back home it was different
Back with our giant family we had something to honor every week
In our golden cage though, all we can do is honor each other
Honor the few of us here
One pastel at a time
Diary of a Soñador 