Undocumented
She was an
essential worker
Producing
fruit and vegetables
For your
family dinner table
We sang
her glory
Praised
her sacrifice
Admired
her honest labor
Neglecting
to note
She had little
choice
She did
what she had to do
To put
food on her own table
She was
brave and strong
No one
could deny
She showed
up every morning
Worked
until night
And took
care of the kids
Every
evening
She caught
the virus
She did
not know how
She had
been cautious
(but had
her kids?)
She wore a
mask
(except at
home)
She kept
her distance
(the best
she could)
Twice she went
to church
To pray
for the afflicted
Maybe then
somehow
The laying
on of hands
The
shedding of tears
The close
contacts
She was
afraid to seek help
(and
afraid not to)
She was
undocumented
Would they
send her home?
Would they
deport her?
What would
her children do?
She got
sick and prayed
She closed
her door and prayed
She told
her kids to stay away
Until she
was too weak to stop them
What else
could she do?
She was
undocumented
Not a
person
Not a face
Just
another number
Stricken
by the virus
Taken by
the disease
They cried
for her in the barrio
They mourned
her in Jalisco
They took
her children in
Buried her
in sacred ground
Sang of
her in the cantina
Wove her
into their folklore
Their culture
of sacrifice
They prayed
the rosary
Some say
she died for being illegal
Others
that she died for being poor
She was brave
and strong
One
country broke her heart
The other
did her wrong
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