If They Come For Us, late respone

I love how She opens after the partition with a poem of her mother, Kal. In rereading it, it set the tone for identity. How else do you know who you are than at your origin, your mother’s womb, your first home. Identifying the many people and occasions that make up or influence your identity. Such that of Old Country p.30 (about the buffet), or Gazebo p.40. I found myself thinking of the many times i shared space with my family and loved ones, how often we found home in each other’s presence. It was warm and sweet, even in our contradicting identity of Mexican-American, as it is always a contradiction to mix our mother cultures with that of American capitalism, “we got the money… we’re here to stay.” These moments although defining to our very being can lead us to question who we truly are, as in Ghareeb, meaning stranger, but really it’s about metamorphosis, transition, or growth. This entire book of poetry was beautiful in defining self. Ending on the last piece If They Come for Us reclaiming and owning all those individuals who attributed to the essence of this one individual as a part to a whole community, a whole world.

I of course did tons of self reflection in reading these pieces, and going over them again only centered me in my community, my village who raised me.