This is one of my favorite poems, a la Sandra Cisneros, la mas de las mas chingona latina writer and poet, from her book “Loose Women.”
Once I used the title line in a story. It didn’t go over well with my hermanas in the writing group. I explained the reference and source, but still the heads shook back and forth. I took it out. The hermanas didn’t think it would be interpreted correctly, so I thought about that and concurred.

Anyways, I love the poem and putting it on here (one page of four) in honor of Poetry Month:

You Bring out the Mexican in Me
The hunkered thick dark spiral
The core of a heart howl
The bitter bile.
The tequila lagrimas on Saturday all
through the next weekend Sunday.
You are the one I’d let go the other loves for,
surrender my one-woman house.
Allow you red wine in bed,
even with my vintage lace linens.
Maybe.Maybe.
For you.
You bring out the Dolores del Rio in me.
The Mexican spitfire in me.
The raw navajas, glint and passion in me.
The raise Cain ad dance with the rooster-footed devil in me.
The spangled sequin in me.
The eagle and serpent in me
The mariachi trumphets of the blood in me.
The berrinchuda, bien-cabrona in me.
The Pandora’s curiosity in me.
The pre-Columbian death and destruction in me.
The rainforest disaster, nuclear threat in me.
The fear of fascists in me.
Yes, you do. Yes, you do.

Categories: Chingonas, poetry, Sandra Cisneros