This is a poem I wrote after I spent an afternoon reading to the kids at Sterling Meadows.
I read the classic book, “Where the Wild Things Are,” which in Spanish roughly
translates to “Donde Viven los Monstruos” – this is an interesting translation used by the
bilingual text I was using considering this particular Spanish phrase means “where the
monsters live”. I really took this phrase to heart and thought about the different monsters
that the families I work with deal with, and how like the difference between the English
and Spanish phrases, the monsters that you and I may deal with are very different from
the monsters they are dealing with. Several of the families on our site are undocumented
and so even the idea of simply being in public can be scary because you never know
where or when someone may approach and ask you to prove your citizenship. This is a
terrifying concept for both myself and these families, so this week I wrote a little poem
about the feelings that this arises when I think about their situation.
¿Donde viven los monstrous?
The monsters are no longer simply under our beds
They have evolved completely
And have gotten into our heads
The monsters were once only a frightening dream
But now in reality they are worse than they seem
To many they are there to guard and protect
Powerful creatures, demanding respect
Pero para ustedes, ellos son todo lo que temen
Y muchas veces nosotros simplemente no saben
While the monsters were once hairy and hiding
They now adorn badges and pistols, glaring from the motorcycles they’re riding
No one can tell from your faces alone
Your status: illegal, yet this is your home
Como puedo entender lo que estás sintiendo,
Cuando tengo todo que yo necesito, y solo porque estoy viviendo
I was so privileged to have been born on this side of the border
Yet I am so distraught to have learned of all this chaos and disorder
The badges I was raised to love and to trust
Are the monsters you hide from, afraid of a deportation they could conduct
I believe it is nothing short of unfair that you live in such fear
When both your eyes and my eyes cry the same tears
No matter the language of the lullabies our mothers sung
Does it not matter that both your heart and my heart speak the same tongue?
They were beating in harmony from Mexico to here
As you crossed a border sin o con papeles, my dear
La unica cosa que yo sé para cierto
Es que ustedes no deben tener miedos
The monsters are everywhere, they watch where we go
But child do not fear them for what they don’t know.
No matter the immigration status to which you hold
Know that te respeto, te quiero, y te admiro.
Now remember what you have been told.
The monsters are out there, but they are not everywhere
And there are many of us who do love you and many of us who care.