Plenty

~ in memoriam, Aurora Villaseñor Igloria

Say your mother is eyeing the last
piece of bread on the table:

instead of asking for it, she
might say Don't you want the last

pan de leche?
That way, if you
or anyone else wants it,

you could have it, and her little
longing might be tucked away.

Or say there is just so much rice
in the pot: so your grandparents

sing the praises of the smoky
and brittle crust at the bottom,

how it crumbles like a cracker
or a golden lattice. They'll say

What a lifetime of eating our fill
of the world
: mangos and sugar apples,

doughnuts and sponge cakes---so much
plenty, they don't need to be reminded.






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