BIO
Jose Hernandez Diaz is a 2017 NEA Fellow. He is the author of The Fire Eater (Texas Review Press, 2020). His work has been published or featured in The American Poetry Review, Boulevard, Crazyhorse, Georgia Review, Huizache, Iowa Review, The Kenyon Review, The Los Angeles Times, LitHub, The Nation, Poetry, and in The Best American Nonrequired Reading. He has been a finalist for the Andrés Montoya Prize, Colorado Prize, and The National Poetry Series. Currently, he is an Associate Editor at Frontier Poetry and a Guest Editor at Palette Poetry.
Huevos Revueltos con Chorizo
A meal I make often, yet don’t
think about too much.
When I sit and analyze it,
though: I realize, I’m in the Southwest.
Do they eat this on the East
Coast? Doubt it. They probably
Stick to bagels or pancakes. But
I’m on the West coast.
Formerly, México. Formerly, and
still prominent: indigenous.
I know I’m just having breakfast.
Why so serious? It’s more than that,
If I investigate the past and see
both of my abuelos and abuelas
Cooking huevos revueltos con
chorizo for my tíos and tías. It’s a way to carry on
With tradition. I will share this
meal with my children one day.
Tortillas, huevos, chorizo, and
if you have the patience
To boil the potatoes beforehand:
you can add that, too!
One difference from my Abuelos’
time: nowadays,
You can even replace the pork for soyrizo: ¡Buen Provecho!
My Mother’s “Broken” English
Is
more beautiful than a Neruda poem.
Is
always managing to get by.
Is
lovelier than a spring rose garden.
Will
comfort you like a sarape.
Is not
afraid of the dark.
Is
commanding yet vulnerable.
Can calm
me down or lift me up.
Can
handle doctor visits and bureaucratic phone calls.
Has
taught me how to read poetry.
Has
become masterful over the years.
Sounds
magical in prayer.
Sounds
magical in prayer.