As Us

A Space for Writers of the World

Crystal Azul-Poetry

Peeling Potatoes

We’d like to peel the skin off

these memories, as easily

as we peel potatoes

on a Wednesday morning,

a soft, pliable pile

of brown and red scabs

like wood shavings

or bark peels , the skins

littering the wet ground

how we enjoy gouging

out the rotted eyes, the aged spots

of these firm, yellowed orbs

leaving craters to fill

with rainwater pools.

It could all be so simple

as peeling potatoes

on a Wednesday morning.

Progress

a veil closes, falling into place

hiding and dividing

you from a place you call home.

dreams and imaginings

of another life

rise

like smoke

like spirits

from the graves-

dias de los muertos

is everyday living.

the past

is the past,

mi mama used to say

though she moves

through it every night

in her sleep.

en este familia, no queremos

recorder historias

our family tree stunted,

my mother tongue stumped.

CrystalAzulAsUsCrystal Azul is a queer femme Latina artist and educator who works with youth ages 8-18 as both an after school eco-art instructor at an elementary school and as an organizer and arts instructor with the Pushing Margins summer art and writing camp for LGBTQ youth (http://pushingmargins.org/). Crystal was also a participant in the memoir track of the 2013 VONA/Voices Writing Workshops for Writers of Color. She has a BA in Fine Arts and a certificate in Museum & Gallery Studies.

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