after Lena Khalaf Tuffaha
I
Manman
says I’m not supposed to
run by the river
but Manman doesn’t know
how good it feels. Like mermaid
kisses from the sea, I love the way
the wet grass tickles my toes
when I skip & splash the women
washing clothes & hair.
Manman
says not to run on the river
rocks when the sun hangs
over the water like a ripe mango
ready to drop. Because that’s
when the soil burns the skin, she says,
& my feet will blister red hot
into a flame tree.
Manman
says I shouldn’t run with
the boys down the river bank
because girls who want to
marry should always walk.
But I’m the fastest runner
in Dajabón. Faster than Gustav
& Eugene & Vincent. Faster
because they’ll pull the white
ribbons in my hair if they catch
me. Faster because I eat less
& never look back.
II
Manman
said run that night. But I couldn’t
lift my legs. Manman pushed
me into the rain. It hit my eyes
& I couldn’t see Manman
also afraid of running from the men
coming to get us. & my feet sank
into the mud because I thought
the earth could save us. I felt her
hand pull mine. & we ran
towards the dark of the river
the dark of the night
but even the dark couldn’t
hide us.
Manman
said run, Irelia, run when
a full man the size of the moon
raised a machete & dropped
it, cutting Manman’s arm
away from mine. Another tried
to break my head open
like a coconut, it cracked
& Manman screamed her words
drowned in the river current:
“Run, Irelia, run!”
Manman
said run so I ran & I didn’t
look back. Manman said run
& I ran so they wouldn’t catch me
& pull the white ribbons in my hair.
Manman said run & I ran fast
because the others were running.
& I ran faster. Faster than Gustav
& Eugene & Vincent because they
didn’t know. & I ran with blood
in my eyes & I ran with fear
in my feet & I ran without
looking back & I ran without
Manman.
Jasminne Mendez is a best-selling Dominican-American poet, educator, translator, playwright and award winning author of several books for children and adults. She has had poetry and essays published in numerous journals and anthologies and she is the author of two multi-genre collections including Island of Dreams (Floricanto Press, 2013), which won an International Latino Book Award. Her debut poetry collection, City Without Altar, was a finalist for the Noemi Press Poetry Prize and was released in August 2022 (Noemi Press). She has translated the work of New York Times best-selling author Amanda Gorman and the Houston Grand Opera. She is an MFA graduate of the creative writing program at the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University and teaches creative writing for Goddard College.
Noemi Press grants permission.
Jasminne Mendez’s latest book is City Without Altar (Noemi Press, 2022). Visit with her and her work at the Miami Book Fair 2022 on 11/20 at 11 am in Room 6100. Cover art by: Dominican artist Elia Alba
Welcome to SWWIM Every Day’s preview coverage of Miami Book Fair (MBF) 2021! The poets whose work you’ll be reading every weekday from October 25 through November 12 are just a few of the many authors from around the world participating in this year’s MBF, the nation’s largest gathering of writers and readers of all ages. They all look forward to sharing their work, thoughts, and ideas both in person and online. Between November 14 and November 21, new poet conversations and readings will be launched and available for free on miamibookfaironline.com (in addition to other content). For more information, visit the website and follow MBF on Instagram and Twitter at @miamibookfair and use the hashtag #miamibookfair2021.