Is Tarah

Lena, Notada

One evening inolvidable in Mexico,
Watching friend Elvia on her Quinceañera,
I noted the poetry of romantic fledging in Latin manera…
Con confetti, candles fifteen and a tiara…
As into a chivalrous world she strode,
Un cuarto de siglo ago.

Anoche amiga called from Medellin
Donde her eleven year old fluttering
With friends… has begun pretending
To be a teen… traditionally a cute thing.
I joked ‘Estuvimos happily clucking pollos…’
Only to be interrupted in a voice as guilty as cold,
‘Her mates are from underprivileged barrios…!’

Elvia is a veteran of NGOs now,
Not easily cowed, I know.
‘Don’t let Lena visit their homes’
I began only to hear sobbing…
‘She’s eleven, Lord… check your phone!’
The forwarded photo was clear, so the text –
‘Your daughter has been noticed.’

Considering that the wave of child tourism
Offers experiences more personally intense
Than cultural relics and customs,
I suggested moving away with Lena,
Before she encountered the joke of Quinceañera.

– Bolbul