Elizabeth Acevedo

The last time I saw my parents kiss
I was pretty small.
But it’s still hard to hear
that your own mother wasn’t happy.
Papi was always smiling, always full
of words & joy.
I wish I knew the rift
that grew this sea between them.
I used to think it was me

think I hate this sister.
She messages me
that she has acquired a plane ticket.
& how easy she says it.
Because it wasn’t endless paperwork,
because no one wondered if she would
want to overstay her visa.
The years my father tried
to get me to the States,
& that girl over there fills out a short form,
is granted permission, given a blue book—
shit, an entire welcome mat to the world.

A lot of people don’t finish school
or follow their dreams. That fairy-tale plotline is for
telenovelas.