I am from a mature lemon tree from tall uncut grass,
And pots and pans,
I am from the blue broken house and bags full of recyclables, to the smell of home-cooked pozole, and the feeling of comfort,
I am from the nopales planted on the fence,
To the willow tree whose long-gone limbs I remember as if they were my own.
I’m from family gatherings and recalentadas, from storytelling & crying,
From my mother and sister
I’m from card games and dice,
and from family visits to bonfires,
I’m from si se puede, and everything happens for a reason,
And nonstop oldies and corridos,
I’m from baking cakes on birthdays and fishing in the evenings,
I’m from Sacramento, the capital of California,
and deep roots in Mexico, a proud Mexican and Cora,
And from Chile rellenos to lasagna,
From a hardworking immigrant who has been hardworking since the age of 10, who has always been selfless and full of calluses on his hands, from high school graduation ceremonies to fond memories and photos of every milestone, hidden away in a safe spot in my mind, never to be lost.
Alice actually ate an apple,
Billy broke building blocks,
Cora counted candy corn,
Donna drove decoy ducks,
Elliot's eating eggplant,
Frannie's filleting fish,
George's geeting Greta,
Harriet's hunting hornets,
Inez is irritating Ike,
Jasmine's jabbing John,
Karen's kissing Kevin,
Leon loves Luann,
Monte's mimicking Mary,
Nellie's not-so nice,
Opal's organizing origami,
Penelope's pushing Perry,
Quina's quietly quilting,
Ramona's reading romance,
Sophie's softly singing.
Ruffling the feathers
Of your expectations.
Rilke to the left.
The portrait of Alf
The back of my left ear.
What unconscionable theives,
These Time Czars,
Where we live with the scars,
As joy bounces on the crevices.
I see you in the dark in some cave.
Let me be your bombastic populist.
The Strong Arm of the Soul.
Play in the light of least resistance.
My garden grows in the garden of your heart.
My every breathe is your eternal existence.
Bite the doughnut.
Press for hugs.
In Your Neighborhood
Local
Opal
Also in Your Neighborhood
Near a
Vera
Combat Lady
Sniper
Piper
Girly Girl
Frilly
Tillie
The Boxing Girl
Bobbin’
Robyn
Fashion Setter
Trendy
Wendy
Miss Competitive
Trophy
Sophie
Guys will Do Anything . . .
For a
Cora
For a
Dora
For a
Nora
Cora and Captain Hook arrive in Once Upon a Time.
They’re not looking for happily ever afters, but
to rock the boat. One is evil; the other’s out for revenge.
She’s an old bat and he is charming, but
not in a Prince Charming kind of way. He’ll lean in
and provoke a heart beat - is he jesting or real,
you never know. You have to wait to find out, but
meanwhile he steals the heart of the savior,
Emma Swan, but she’s mostly onto him. Charming
is her father and Snow White, her mother, so
she knows what true love is and is
not. Hook’s a dashing pirate, not
the look of Dustin Hoffman. So Hook appeals
to Emma’s adventurous, not virtuous side, and
she gets burned by his kiss - *a dream
is a wish your heart makes.*
1/14/2023
*Disney song, Songwriters:
Mack David / Jerry Livingston / Al Hoffman / Oliver Wallace
my new quilt is made of hundreds of cats
grandmother quizzed me. Are you sure? Did you count them?
maybe fifty cats? I said.
grandma cora stared me down.
I was squirming now.
sixteen cats?
her face said that she knew better.
I took another stab at a count “maybe six cats?”
she asked me to hold up the quilt.
knowing when I fib, even if it is through video chat.
she has the knack!
probably because she practiced on my mommy.
C-reative
O-pus
R-ightfully
A-pplies
A-nnual
T-opic's
E-ssential
N-ote
C-onveying
I-deal
A-spect
Topic: Birthday of Cora B. Atencia (February 26)
Form: Vertical Monocrostic
Dear Ava Rose and Cora
I’m so sorry my babies for making you cry.
Mommy didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.
Sometimes important tasks are left undone.
But I will be up here watching you with God’s loving son.
I will be in your hearts as you continue to grow.
Mommy loves you so much, and this you will always know.
Your family and friends will always be there.
They will fill in for Mommy when you need extra care.
Work hard at school and take care of each other.
You are your sister’s keeper, so love one another.
Both of you are special, there is nothing you can’t do.
Hold onto each other, I will always love you.
Love, Mommy
C-ontain the alarming attack
O-f the violent virus;
R-epel the China crisis
A-nd the risk so vicious.
A-larming attack applies
L-ethal link of the curse;
D-efense is really important,
E-ven equipment matters.
F-ight the terrible threat
O-f the devil dark and black;
L-et not the immunity system
L-ose to alarming
A-ttack.
Topic: Birthday of Sis. Cora Aldefolla (June 07)
C-omposer
O-f
R-egards
A-nnually
A-pplies
T-he
E-xpression's
N-atal
C-onnotation
I-n
A-crostic
Topic: Birthday of Cora B. Atencia (February 26)
Form: Vertical Monocrostic
MacGregor was our first pet dog
a cairn terrier, a little bundle of fun
being adopted I found home strange
my pal MacGregor with me love to run
Also in my upbringing growing up
had two lovable cats Jinky and Smokey
lay on my bed bringing comfort
many a night felt safe with real support
Then Glen came along full of pace
this Collie dog loved to run for stick
I was kept fit keeping up with Glen
but his life left me far too quick
A ginger coloured cat next came
to our household which made bright
Sandy by name with full of mischief
once went to no return at night
My very favourite was a black labrador
Cora by name, so clever and strong
could hear our car a full mile away
so affectionate and loving it did belong
There you have my six heroes
all were special in their own way
from them learned many a lesson
never forgotten even to this day
(Looking back on my childhood and adolescent days on the animals we had and their effect upon my life.)
C-onnotation
O-f
R-ighteous
A-crostic
A-dvances
L-iterary
D-esign
E-mploying
F-orm
O-f
L-ovely
L-ine's
A-spect
Topic: Birthday of Sister Cora Aldefolla (June 07)
Form: Vertical Monocrostic
C-omments
O-n
R-emarkable
A-crostic
A-re
T-ruly
E-xcellent
N-icely
C-reating
I-mpressive
A-cceptance
Topic: Birthday of Cora B. Atencia (February 26)
Form: Vertical Monocrostic
There is a certain comfort that comes to me
every spring, from perennials I planted years ago, that still pop up, beneath dark soil.
I often wonder how in the world they survived the harshness of winter and his unforgiving and relentless frozen lashings, year after year.
It makes me think about my own survival as a young girl. Buried beneath my tender exterior, I also found a way to comfort and warm myself beneath the unforgiving cold and darkness.
I was just a child bride when the harshness of winters
lashed into me, frozen punishments that were warrantless, relentless and unforgiving. But, like a perennial I always found the strength to survive and bloom bigger and stronger every spring.
Maybe that is why today, my garden is full of hostas, lavender, cora bells and black eyed susans. Yes, there is a certain wanting that comes to me every year, beneath dark clouds of winter.
Cora was my favourite pet
a black labrador/Doberman dog
we loved to walk in the fields
in all weathers except when fog
We lived out in the countryside
enjoying the nature all around
Cora was my constant companion
travel miles aplenty together abound
Cora had amazing sound hearing
could hear parents car a mile away
good watchdog barked real loud
obedient to your word quick to stay
In my mid 20s Cora passed away
during it's latter years would take fits
so vet advised mercifully to put it down
thinking back now my heart still hits
The memories of Cora still linger on
happiness and contentment it did bring
my black lab had such smooth coat
such great thoughts of it so to cling
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