A POEM A DAY

I crack the cascarones with my hands to show you
how to hold all the colors before we turn to mama
and cover her in confetti

I grab another one and hide it in the soil of one of
grandma’s plants, and you find it and give it to me.
I open the cascarones in front of you so you again
so you can see how a ritual begins

Cascarones in your long hair
Confetti falls with every step you take
All day you’ve run around in your bare feet
The oak tree in front of grandma’s house
looks like its hugging you
so we take a picture between the branches
together as a family
standing on the soil
with confetti falling
over the roots of who we are

Your cousins let you hit the piñata first
before all the other big kids
You take the stick and tap the piñata
gentle as the confetti caught in your hair
We all shout and cheer, and you watch in awe
as candy falls to the ground
and this is how a ritual begins
My Mexican boy learning the joy of being here on this Earth.

When we go to take our family photos,
your mama and I watch you smile so hard,
we can see all your teeth.