Family Treasures
By Adriana Estill
October 15, 2023
October 15, 2023
|
|
You belong to a family who loves
words. We gather them into our palms; test their texture and heft. Seven days we tumble them with grit and water, polish them until they reveal light and wind and twinkle. We lick them to weigh saltiness and viscosity; taste tells us which escarpment or mesa they came from. We scratch the surface of each one, dance fingertips in the groove left behind. Yet no test tells us how far these words will travel tomorrow. I've collected my best ones for you. Luciérnaga. Libélula. Lágrima. Iridescent. Liminal. Chimera. Fronterizos. I place each one in my mouth. Smooth my tongue to its edges. Keep them warm for you. |
|
Adriana Estill grew up in California and eventually landed in Minnesota, where she teaches Latinx studies and literature at Carleton College. She has a poem forthcoming in Kakalak 2023; she's only just begun to dream of being a poet.
|
|