what is the weight of a lettuce head?
1:16 dark n raining
me, a bunddle of blanket/ pillow y
       calientita memoria,
think of home
the tap tap of richmond rain
 hace floreser un recuerdo
 y es como si saliera el sol
of mom n dinner after work,
she by el comal
n the puffing flour tortillas
that we both love
but complain about the fat

"rain is so soothing!
 me encanta ver llover atravez de mi ventana"
i say with a big shinny smile,

mom glimpses at me and replies
    "that's because you don't work in the fields
     your fingers don't get numb with cold and bee stings."
n my smile gets as flat as the tortilla she just flipped

"i also love the sun"
digo tontamente y sin penzar,
n she reveals with heavy voice
    "that's because your eyes don't sting
    with sweat n/ your neck don't peel."
n i shrink n feel guilty in my seat
as she stands/ stands after 10 hrs of mud
10 hrs of numb but fast moving fingers

i look down at my steaming beans
and warm soft tortilla,
y le digo con voz que apenas se oye,
   "sientate mama,
   yo caliento."

only mom,
with her small hands and thin fingers,
knows the real weight
of a lettuce head.

        con cariŅo para mi mamá,
        agustín palacios



manzanilla poetry