My reputación
precedes me. I come
from a long line of women
much maligned,
hija de Eva,
rumors of gardens,
crushed flowery scent
…
velvetmoist with petals,
piel, fruitflesh, ripe
tempting tongue,
sweet juice of
words, plural hiss
of languagessssss
…
Women. Snakes.
Snakes and tongues. Snake-haired
women. Loose-haired women. Loose-tongued
women. Open-mouthed women. Open
women. Whores. Mothersssss.
Virgin mothers.
Women of closed
uterus. Women
of closed
mouths. Women
of covered
hair. Women
of cloaked
bodies. Women
who crush
víboras. Women
who crush their
own tongues.
Silent women.
Altared women.
Tip 4: Alter
the altared women.
I became bilingual,
learned to roll
palabras in my mouth
just to taste them,
chew, swallow,
fruta dulce.
— Malinche’s Tips: Pique from Mexico’s Mother — Pat Mora (via batidos)
