Calabacitas
By Micaela Dalzell
Remember your culture
keep it close like
the passed down recipe
from great-grandma Maria
hold it tightly against
your chest, imprint it
into your mind
place oil and garlic
into the pan
two cups of corn
and tomatoes,
cover and simmer.
while you wait,
hold her daughter’s hand.
See how loose skin
pulled back over frail bones
yellow like Mexican squash,
fits into yours
add zucchini and onion,
stir occasionally.
reminisce over Grandpa Rudy’s
1978 Camaro,
the Downey house on Firestone,
and menudo on Sunday
mornings after church
memorize every line on her face
and read the story of her life,
measured at
6 kids, 13 grandchildren
40 years of marriage
mix in cheese,
serve.
Micaela recently received her BA in creative writing from Cal State Long Beach; she is a practicing poet who mixes narrative with imagist style. Her writing spans across a number of disciplines including: creative writing, journalism, and marketing. As a creative writer, Micaela has volunteered as a poetry instructor for underserved youth at a local creative arts camp, performed at open mics and readings, and workshopped with many thoughtful writers. She believes poetry and prose have worked as a sort of therapy in her life, offering a healing like no other. This will be her first featured piece; she looks forward to more future publications. Micaela hopes to pursue an MFA in creative writing and become a college professor in the future.
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