Cinthia Piñón Chávez
La Voz de mi Hermano
(After “My Mother’s ‘Broken’ English” by Jose Hernandez Diaz)
Suena como the soft hum of
the lawnmower on a summer evening,
his yard littered with the
skeletons of past projects.
Suena como the door opening, his booming
voice announcing his arrival.
The softest chair is his, and he’ll make sure you know.
In his arms he holds the baby, un milagro.
Suena como showing up with a new piece of art,
something beautiful he thought of, curved edges,
meaningful, “Que piensa, padre?” He gifts you
his creations. He made it just for you.
La voz de mi hermano es única.
El habla ingles with Spanish vowels,
each word rounder than the last, his laughter echoes––
he swore he’d never be like the tíos in Mexico.
Bio
Cinthia Piñón Chávez is a senior at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Her major is in English with an emphasis on writing, and her minor is in Women’s Studies. Throughout her time in college, she has been part of several poetry workshops and hopes to continue writing poetry as a means to document her experiences as a first-generation immigrant from Mexico. Cinthia hopes to one day publish a series of poetry focusing on her family and their struggles in coming to the United States.