Rossy Evelin Lima
Hunger's Gnaw
They had no love for us, said my Grandfather.
At eight
he and his brothers had already nestled into sleep,
hungry
with the pain of a void
as deep as parched earth,
and heavier than the machete
he wielded with his eight-year-old hands
at nine
the night had bestowed upon them a meal,
Tamalitos for the cubanitos, the door whispered as it shut.
Their mother gave everything to the dog.
At midnight
the howls from the dog in its final throes woke them up,
a piebald mutt that shadowed them by day,
loyal companion
on the trail to the maize fields
at midnight
they followed the rustle of leaves in the wind,
the youngest sought roots
in the hands they were clasping,
the eldest drowned their gaze
into the dog, contorting in agony
their mother pinched their noses, all six,
and sent them back to sleep.
That could’ve been you
said to him his brother Flavio
my Grandfather imagined himself on all fours,
emitting harrowing cries,
Maybe,
but I wouldn’t be hungry.
Bio
Rossy Evelin Lima (PhD) is a writer, scholar, and translator. She has published three poetry collections and two children's books, gaining international recognition. Lima is the founder of Jade Publishing and Executive Director of Latino Book Review. She is an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. As a translator, she has worked with Penguin Random House, Arte Público Press, and the National Latina Institute. Her awards include the Gabriela Mistral Award, Spirit of MLK Exemplary Award, Poet of the Year by the America’s Poetry Festival NY, and the International Latino Book Award. She has also presented a TEDx talk and appeared in PBS's Waking Dream.