<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="o-vr o-vr_12x" style="margin: 0px 0px 60px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><div class="c-feature" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.231;"><div class="c-feature-bd" style="margin: 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.3;"><div class="isActive o-poem" data-view="PoemView" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative;"><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class="">El Salvador</div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Salvador, if I return on a summer day, so humid my thumb<br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">will clean your beard of salt, and if I touch your volcanic face,</span><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class="">kiss your pumice breath, please don’t let cops say: <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">he’s gangster</span>.<br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Don’t let gangsters say: <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">he’s wrong barrio</span>. Your barrios</span><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class="">stain you with pollen, red liquid pollen. Every day cops<br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">and gangsters pick at you with their metallic beaks,</span><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class="">and presidents, guilty. Dad swears he’ll never return,<br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Mom wants to see her mom, and in the news:</span><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class="">every day black bags, more and more of us leave. Parents say:<br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">don’t go; you have tattoos. It’s the law; you don’t know</span></span><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">what law means there</span>. ¿But what do they know? We don’t<br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">have greencards. Grandparents say: <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">nothing happens here</span>.</span><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class="">Cousin says: <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">here, it’s worse. Don’t come, you could be</span> ... <br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">Stupid Salvador, you see our black bags,</span><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class="">our empty homes, our fear to say: <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">the war has never stopped,</span><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">and still you lie and say: <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">I’m fine, I’m fine,</span></span><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class="">but if I don’t brush Abuelita’s hair, wash her pots and pans,<br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">I cry. Like tonight, when I wish you made it</span><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class="">easier to love you, Salvador. Make it easier<br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">to never have to risk our lives.</span><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-indent: -1em;" class=""><span style="font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>- Javier Zamora</div><div style="font-style: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-family: inherit;" class=""><span style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 8%; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><br class=""></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="o-grid" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 22px; font-family: adobe-garamond-pro, Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; vertical-align: baseline; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><div class="o-grid-col_10of12 o-grid-col" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; float: left; width: 638.367px;"></div></div></div></body></html>