Sandra Cisneros
Your abuelito is dead, Papa says early one morning
in my room. Está muerto, and then as if he just heard the
news himself, crumples like a coat and cries, my brave Papa
cries. I have never seen my Papa cry and don’t know what
to do.
I know he will have to go away, that he will take a
plane to Mexico, all the uncles and aunts will be there, and
they will have a black-and-white photo taken in front of
the tomb with flowers shaped like spears in a white vase
because this is how they send the dead away in that country.
Because I am the oldest, my father has told me first,
and now it is my turn to tell the others. I will have to explain
why we can’t play. I will have to tell them to be quiet today.
My Papa, his thick hands and thick shoes, who wakes
up tired in the dark, who combs his hair with water, drinks
his coffee, and is gone before we wake, today is sitting on
my bed.
And I think if my own Papa died what would I do. I
hold my Papa in my arms. I hold and hold and hold him.
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Although this poem is short, it still holds so much meaning. It deals with growth for Esperanza. She is their Oldest sister, and the Eldest child. So as the oldest, she needs to handle serious duties. She needed to act like the adult in the situation, because of what her dad was going through. She needed to act strong in this situation, on behalf of her father, who couldn’t. Not only does this poem tackle growth and the idea of taking on the strength for your parents because that’s all you can do, but it tackles Mexican culture and tradition. That the dad carries a lot of the strength for a family and he’s the source of strength. I especially like how Cisneros explains the duties and roles that Esperanza’s family will have to follow now. For example, the fact that he’s going to need to go to Mexico, and “have a black-and-white photo taken in front of the tomb with flowers shaped like spears in a white vase because this is how they send the dead away in that country.” The poem uses the pattern of phrasing death as an obligation, and the things that follow it, like the rules and funerals are nothing more than an annoying chore to finish. But as well as all that the poem brings forth the love Esperanza has for her father and how grateful she is to have her father around and alive.
