vallenato con la abuela
mi abuela, while dancing, asked me
¿estas feliz?
which really meant
¿ere you still, you know?
sí
she hugged me, and said
eso es lo que importa
we twirled and whirled
to the vallenato
the guacharaca
el acordeón
we kept on spinning
both of us holding on tighter, más apretado
in fear
her, the fear of the unknown
lo que no se sabe
of God’s judgement
for my safety
for my happiness
for my soul
me, of losing her love
her hands grasping me tight
the same ones that carried me
to a land where I could be free
where I could be me
our feet stopped moving
she whispered,
lo quiero mucho
la quiero mucho también