Trapped
by Martha Morales
I am trapped between two languages like the water that was in the Rio Grande
that it is between El Cerro Bola y la Montana Franklin
in the past when I spoke English I felt
like los ratones me comieron la lengua the mice ate
my tongue because I translated from Spanish to English
and some people asked me what did you say?
I did not understand you!
and when I speak espanglish
some people that are not from the border
say please speak just English
on the other hand
when I speak Spanish some words we used
on the border en la frontera
they are different from the words
the people use in Mexico
for example we say quesadilla in the border
in Mexico city they said sincronizada
"y luego dicen que los Mexicanos estamos muy agringados
aqui en la frontera"
people from Mexico City say that the Mexican people
from the border are too agringada
I am atrapada between two languages
Translation:
quesadilla - two corn tortillas with melted cheese in the middle
sincronizada - two corn tortillas with melted cheese in the middle
agringada - the Mexican people that live in the United States that use attitudes, language from the people of the United States when they visit Mexico
atrapada - to be trapped
frontera - the border
