"Parental Threads" by Monica Aleman

Parental Threads
after Sharon Olds

I see them standing in the mid-century LAX lobby,
I see my father strutting out
of a 1960 Ford Mustang, with
a prematurely peppered Brylcreem pompadour, I
see my mother with a 1960s glossy synthetic bouffant
wearing a polyester miniskirt, clutching her purse tightly
standing by the arrival gate near an automatic door
that opens behind her sensing the heat
in the mid July air.
Is there still time to turn around?
They are about to meet, they are about to get married, they
are about to have children. Not necessarily in that order.
They are naive, they are fools, all they know is they are
ready,
I want to run to them and say GO BACK!
This country will kill you.
You are going to suffer in cruel ways,
You are going to die. And your children will never recover.
I want to run to them and say it.
Her fair complexion, a vibrant rose
Hers, unvarnished skin full of promise
His, an olive complexion, sun kissed
Him, a bon vivant, full of lofty ambitions
I want to run to them, but I don’t
because I want to live.

Monica aleman

Monica Aleman Gibbs is a Salvadoran-American writer, native to Los Angeles, California. As a Salvadoran-American, she brings a unique and often overlooked experience to her work. She earned an Associate’s degree in English Literature from Citrus College, a Bachelor’s degree in English from California State University, Los Angeles, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Mount Saint Mary’s University, where some of her poems have been featured.

Headshot: Kelly Yang

Photo Credit: Staff