POETRY: El Miedo—{Why I Write}

Have you heard of Hail Defenders who cut the clouds of storm?

What about those monsters known as Malhora and Lechuza?

Have you ever witnessed mal ojo, the curse of the evil eye?

How about spirits who travel through water in search of prey?

Or serpents so huge their fangs are as long as broadswords?

My ancestors and I are the last of a breed; we’ve seen our share.

Our region is rich in history, some true, some questionable.

That’s why I write. To tell the world about my Spanish culture

And the elements that make it unique: the legends, the myths,

The customs, traditions, the rituals before they’re gone forever.

Whether the ghoul, la Llorona, emerges from the river or

El Serpiente Vivorón slithers from deadfalls in the darkness,

Or Malorga, the monstro, forms from a harmless dust devil

While the Mexican fairies deceive unsuspecting victims,

They all emerge to remind us of culture lost when stories die.

All of them jump, crawl, prowl, sneak, or slide into my stories,

Formed in my memory first. They leap or pounce from the pages,

They shock or surprise, as I intend. I reanimate our monsters

And let them loose upon the earth. Unsuspecting readers, beware.

That’s why I write. To entertain, to inform, above all, to scare.