Henry’s Elegy For My Grandmother Fernanda Cardenas

My grandmother passed away the other day,
so many things were sucked out of my life,
so many things just up and died.

No pot of beans left on the stove,
no hot tortillas pulled away from the comal
by her delicate hand that swatted at me

so often when I was young
for being a bad boy.
I was rarely good.

My grandmother passed away the other day.
What can I say? Did I treat her
the way she deserved to be treated?

No way, Jose! But, what else can I say?
My grandmother passed away the other day
and left me all that was good in her life.