There are roots
and rhizomes of me, still—
lain, forsaken in
the arid graves
and rust
of Northern México—
mi Bisabuela, with her wild, running spirit,
may have borne the bloodline of
the Rarámuri—
we will likely never know.
I was raised to see
my lineage as
an olive tree—
to believe I am
a vineyard-wisp:
a drop of grape among
the silvergrove
of rosemary,
(that I)
was sown
from the lime
and terracotta of
the rolling slopes
of Tuscany—
but the mystery of
mi Bisabuela whispers to
the wind-drift,
tumble-weed meander of
my bones:
“Hurry, mija, hurry—
una raicita of you grows
among us, still—
you were meant to bud
and burgeon as
a desert cypress."
My twisted limbs are a
mycelium—
a filigree of tendril-dream
and hunger-leaf
all stretching up to touch
the sky—
I am a sepal,
a phyllary of
phantom-bloom,
unfurling,
ever-asking in reply—
Dear Bisabuela, why
did you abandon us?
My limbs are strained
and aching for
your answer.
Nono never spoke of you—
he only mumbled broken thoughts
in Spanish to
your absence while
he watered bell peppers
and fig trees on
his acre plot of land—
there,
he pruned himself to be
a graft,
in fiore e ramo,
of his father, born
in Lucca.
.
And this is how
my mother’s side
forgot your culture,
Bisabuela.
go-go-go…
In your rootlessness,
no one planted juniper,
or piñón-tree,
or propagated stalks of yucca, with
their season-steady,
sword-like leaves;
.
you fled with a
deciduousness that
is anything
but evergreen—
you left your legacy—
my grandfather—
an almost-orphan.
(run-run-run…)
My branches search
for words the way
the drylands pray
for petrichor
and rain—every vine of me
a poem that wraps
calligraphy around
your cholla-ghost,
your cactus-bloom,
your name:
Delfina Alvarado—
my great-grandmother:
missing reina of
the vast,
Chihuahuan plains—
cradle of the Rarámuri—
can you hear me?
.
I learned to speak
your language—
{te quiero, siempre}—
but I fear
I am too far removed to claim
I could ever be
a desert cypress.
rush-rush-rush…
But the nodes
and meristem of me
still plead in willow-soft
refrain:
Bisabuela—
¿Me escuchas?
My thoughts
and thistled-wants
are dandelion-tuft-itinerant—
(and when)
I summon distant kingdoms, in
my mode of write-to-drift-away,
I'm
all stems
and tendrils to
embrace you:
I see you, Bisabuela—
you and I are not
so different.
flee-flee-flee…
stray-stray-stray…
.
My questions effloresce
beyond the tree-top crowns
and clouds
of generations' ache;
I writhe-and-coil
in foreign soil, knowing
these are spores I mustn't wake—
(still, I beckon you):
I am wind-born, Bisabuela.
Your cypress-resin races
through me—
could it be
at least...in poetry—
I gallop with
the spirit of
the Rarámuri, too?
(Or—is believing this forbidden?)
Do you watch me now—
admire how
I chase my ancestry?
Or will you flee
from musing seeds of me
forever?
run-run-run...
drift-drift-drift...
ground-ground-ground...
bloom-bloom-bloom…
In my dreams
my leaves tilter to face
your dustland’s potent sun—
(there, I plant a kiss for you—)
you will always be my wander-root.
About the Creator
Gina C.
Poet | Author | Architect of Worlds
Sowing stories rooted in culture, origin, metamorphosis, resilience, language & love via fantasy, myth, magical realism & botanical prose
Writing my novel!🧚🏻♀️🐉✨
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
'20/20'
"Do It Again" the track that would ultimately open the Beach Boys final album on Capitol Records which was released on February 10th 1969 had originally been released as a single in August of 1968. The track was the first of many post-Pet Sounds era throwbacks to the early Beach Boys sound which would become continually more cliched and eventually lead the Beach Boys to the level of self-parody they would eventually succumb to in the 1980s while their closest contemporaries The Beatles nearing the end of their run in 1969 would go on to be viewed as the most influential band of all time. However, the song itself is not bad on its surface, and it opens with a futuristic sounding (for 1969) drumbeat captured by then-Beach Boys engineer Stephen Desper using tape delays on the drums performed by Dennis Wilson and John Guerin. The song has been re-recorded numerous times over the years on various Beach Boys-related projects most notably the 2011 re-recording at Capitol studios featuring the five surviving Beach Boys at the time backed instrumentally by various members of both the Brian Wilson Band and Mike Loves touring "Beach Boys" to promote the then upcoming Beach Boys 50th Anniversary reunion tour in 2012. The hammering and power drill sound at the end of the song was an excerpt from a track called "Workshop" that was to be a part of the uncompleted "SMiLE" album.
By Sean Callaghan6 days ago in Beat
Comments (31)
I knew this would win from the moment I began to read it!! Congratulations, my friend. So well-deserved :)
Woven excellence! Mega-WOWS Gina! Incredible poem of history, lineage, reflection, and so much more. Congratulations on a well-deserved win!
GIna! This is leagues beyond anything I could ever do. The absolute lilt, the rhythm, the LIFE inside this piece is otherworldly. It's stunning. I just...I'd have to write a separate article to capture how masterful your writing is, this piece in particular, though I say that about every single one, I swear. You don't write quite this free a free verse often, I feel, and I'm loving every line! (The "run-run-run, rush-rush-rush" were perfectly spaced and sprinkled throughout. I adore the italicized sections too. Can't pick a favorite area.) If I haven't said it before, I've thought it dozens of times, that your work is too good for Vocal and needs to be widely shared outside of it. I am gutted the reward isn't three times, ten times higher than it is. My LORD, you need to submit to the New Yorker, Harper's, The Atlantic, all! Congratulations, girl. This is no surprise and needs to be utterly ravished with praises. Ugh! :DDD
Hi Gina, your poem is a stunningly tragic exploration of your family lineage - and of you longing to know more about your grandmother. I love how you utilized this prompt to highlight, explore and honor your ancestry. The opening itself was a testament to how strong this piece is: and rhizomes of me, still— lain, forsaken in the arid graves and rust of Northern México— Lovely!
Congratulations on your place. Your poem is a wonderful window into family and character. I love the personified trees/arborified people.
Absolutely beautiful work. I too wish I had known my rooted missing family. But stories are passed down, luckily. We learn. Congrats G.
Returning to congratulate you, Gina, on your win! Such profound poetry, and I was thrilled to see your name on the list.🥰❤
Well-wrought and accolades well-deserved! I loved the way you slipped rhymes in like pleasant surprises within an introspective journey.
Congratulations Gina, this is a beautiful family portrait.
This was so phenomenal. There's no doubt why your poem won this challenge. Your words are just beautifully woven together to sweep away the reader into your beautiful world. You are an incredible talent and right now I'm absolutely humbled to have my work listed with yours.
Wow, this is superb! Congrats on the win. I loved the lines: a drop of grape among the silvergrove of rosemary and the lines: he watered bell peppers and fig trees on his acre plot of land— there, he pruned himself to be a graft, in fiore e ramo, of his father, born in Lucca.
Oh, Gina, what a brilliant and beautiful poem you have woven out of words, legacy, and emotion. Congratulations on the win - you and your poem are most deserving! Well done.
Congrats on another sublime win Gina!
Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
congrats on your win
My, what a gorgeous piece! Congratulations on a well-deserved win, Gina!
Wow!! Gina, I can't believe how much you've taken off in the last couple of years! I'm so proud of you! I joined about a year after you, and I think I remember us lamenting the lack of achievements we'd earned. But look at you go! You have so many now! You're amazing and so is your writing! I unfortunately took a very, very long break from writing due to life complications, but I'm hoping to get back in the game soon. Congratulations on your achievements! You're amazing!
This is so beautiful, I immediately went to share it on my Discord! What language, what heart! Bravo!
I agree with Paul, Gina; I feel a win with this one. Masterfully written and nothing short of beautiful. Congratulations on your top story, and best of luck to you in this challenge❣🌹
You write lineage with such tenderness and longing. It’s impossible not to feel the ache of wanting answers from someone who left only whispers.
This is a beautiful poem
Great
Damn Another win potentially. This was actually similar to what my idea for the same challenge is, to kinda chart my mother's side of the family from elsewhere to Scotland to when I came forth. Has me thinking I should learn Italian to feel a connection to those dying embers of my heritage. It reminds me to read more of your work and I'm sorry I've not been on your pages for a while. You were and I still consider you a good friend. This is another piece of exceptional Gina poetic magic and it felt intimate and timeless you sharing that part of your heritage and your desire to know more and to hold on to the legacy. Things I worry about a lot with so many of my family passing in the last few years. So well done on this. It's also given me some inspiration for my own as I was unsure how to start it. Congrats too on Top Story.
This is a beautiful poem. It reads aloud so well. I love how the mix of languages and ecosystems are twisted together with the language of botany so that you can share a curiosity and loss that is intimate yet relatable. Very nice.
Such a bittersweet and exceptionally beautiful piece you write hear, searing with raw honesty, sweet sentiments that touch on roots, culture, heritage and Abandonment, gorgeous work