North and Central America

While the collection’s overall sensibility is primarily focused on experiences of being Mexican / Latinx, there are relatively few specific references to the geographical / social / political context in which those experiences play out. There are enough hints, however, and enough specific references, to suggest that that context is Central / North America, with its history of immigration (illegal or otherwise) from the former into the latter; of resentments and racism of the latter towards the former; and the desire of those who identify as Mexican / Latinx to be freed from both resentments and racism through acts of revolution, large or small.

The Monastery

In the first poem (“You and I Belong in this Kitchen”) of Part 2 (“the view with no-one”), the author / speaker describes his experiences in a monastery, or spiritually-oriented retreat focusing on meditation and contemplation. This setting and this poem are particularly important in...