Day Servants -- Sirvientas Diarias

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Translation: The women who cross the river each day form a long line for "the migra" (immigration). They show their permissions -- local (crossing) cards -- and they empty the contents of their purses. When they are asked about their destinations, they answer with the phrases they have rehearsed: I want to buy chicken on special, or my son wants tennis shoes from Wal-Mart. Meanwhile, their "patronas" (bosses) for the day lie in wait, at a prudent distance, in their station wagons, with the motors running. They are smoking impatiently. Another Winston?

Listen to poem:

Las mujeres que cruzan el rio cada dia forman una linea larga para la migra. Muestran sus permisos -- tarjetas locales -- y vacian los contenidos de sus bolsas. Cuando las preguntan sus destinos, contestan con las frases que han ensayado: quiero comprar pollo en especial, o desea mi hijo zapatos tenis de Wal-Mart -- mientras sus patronas del dia acechan, a prudente distancia, en sus camionetas guayin, con los motores en marcha, fumando impacientemente. Otro Winston? (For translation, see "About This Poem")

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