Here is a poetic thought for Wednesday, July 11th

A poem has the power to take us from one place of reflection and understanding to another subsequent place that may crystalize for us a better understanding of who we are, who we have become, and the road(s) we have traveled on to find our evolving spirit.  A poet maintains a particular nuanced essence and grasp of human emotions to help chart our journey.   

Eloísa Pérez-Lozano (photo provided)

Eloísa Pérez-Lozano prompts us to reflect with a single poem…this Wednesday on the Avenue.

The Poor

Age 8

My dad slows the van

to a stop at a red light
in Monterrey, Mexico,
as my family
slowly approaches
my grandmother’s house
after hours of driving.
The window washers
come towards us,
their eyes weary
and limbs barely covered
by tattered clothes.
The dirty water explodes
on our windshield
as my dad waves them off
unwilling to pay for
a service he didn’t ask for.
But as they scrub
dead bugs away
with ripped up rags,
I convince him
it’s worth giving them
the five or ten pesos
because who knows
when their next meal
will be.

Age 28

On a street corner

in downtown Houston
after Mass,
I reject him.
He wears a hoodie
under the blanket that’s
hugging his shoulders,
his only friend this night.
“Can you spare a dollar?”
he asks.
“I’m sorry,”
I shake my head
without feeling
and hurry on
but my mother stops
and my soul drops
as she gives him
our extra tacos
from the church feast.
Suddenly, I feel
the heat of shame
the rush of remorse
and a flood of resentment
at my exposed indifference,
grown by the rain of racism
and seeds of stereotypes.

Eloísa Pérez-Lozano (photo provided)

 Eloísa Pérez-Lozano graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in psychology and a M.S. in journalism and mass communications. Two of her poems were finalists in the 2017 Friendswood Public Library Ekphrastic Poetry contest. A 2016 Sundress Publications Best of the Net nominee, her work has been featured in “The Texas Observer,” “Houston Chronicle,” and “The Acentos Review,” among others. Her poems in aaduna can be re-read in the summer/fall 2015 issue, and her visual images are displayed in The Kuta Gallery of the spring 2016 issue. She lives with her family in Houston, Texas.

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