Valencia

Encased in a cold sweat
Your Mandarin accent sharp
Under a stiff American suit and tie
A precarious lilt carried over on tongues
Subtle hints of the cold winters and floods you endured
Being moved about, and still
Finding roots in California --
Like so many progressive elopers --
Ancestors hailing from India
Great grandparents from Spain
Parents from Mexico...
I'd love to hear all about the Oroville Dam
But I'm pressed for time
And you must be squeezed as well
--
7.12.13