Jacqueline Gonzalez, Stephen F. Austin State University

Mi madre is a little Mexican woman.
She doesn’t speak a lick of English,
and usually keeps to herself—
She always tells me to “take it easy.”

Mi madre doesn’t speak a lick of English,
but cleans houses for those who only speak English.
She always tells me to “take it easy—”
it’s her favorite phrase she overheard at work.

Mi madre cleans houses for those who speak English,
and it worries me they might say bad things about her.
She picks up phrases she overhears at work,
they always translate to nice things.

Mi madre worries people say bad things about us,
she just wants her children to be happy.
She always asks how to translate nice things,
like te quiero and buenas noches.

Mi madre works to keep her children happy.
She always tells me to “take it easy,”
And I tell her te quiero and buenas noches,
because she doesn’t speak a lick of English.

Jacqueline Gonzalez is currently a student at Stephen F. Austin State University, working towards her BFA in Creative Writing with a minor in Literature.