by Edcel Cintron
Lately I’ve been having thoughts from home,
which is normal (no pun intended) to have
considering I now live in Normal (pun intended),
where nothing is close to normality around here when you live alone.
It’s been a little over a month
since I left
my island of enchantment
for the mainland,
It’s been a little over a month that
I traded my native tongue
And codeswitching practice
For a second language
Where different people standing on thin ice
Have admire the fact that I express my person as native-like
Native-like because these person-like
Humans are always quick to call out someone
Who sounds slightly different, as if that person was
The alienated color from the box of crayons,
A color that will never be used
Where these person-like humans almost forget that
100 years of colonization does wonders to your speech
The same preach
Caliban roared during the tempest
For the American magical realism of fast foods,
salads, and anything that says
“join our club, we have free pizza and avocados…”
At least there are avocados here.
At least here there are humans who care
Humans who demonstrate the same struggle
The same life-changing path we all as a community
Who want to find a way to unify our problems
To make me, in both languages, swear
And feel a weird bubbly
Sensation as I accept the transition of my new space and remember
The sand, the bright sun, the dancing palm trees waving goodbye
As I sit in the plane, look out my window, and wish my home goodnight.