Day 22 Heritage

Sandra Cisneros and her “colorful” battle with the historic district of San Antonio over her purple and turquoise paint color choices for her home in the city's historic district are typical of her unique personality. Her battle with city officials has been chronicled in “The Purple Passion of Sandra Cisneros.” She herself has discussed this in her essay, “My Purple House - Color is a Language and a History.” (Questions in the article.)

In an interview on National Public Radio, Cisneros discusses her heritage and reads this poem. “You Bring Out the Mexican in Me” is representative of her use of imagery, bi-lingualism, sensuality and language echoing Latin rhythms.

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You Bring Out the Mexican in Me by Sandra Cisneros

You bring out the Mexican in me.
The hunkered thick dark spiral.
The core of a heart howl.
The bitter bile.
The tequila lágrimas on Saturday all
through the next weekend Sunday.
You are the one I’d let go the other loves for,
surrender my one-woman house.
Allow you red wine in bed,
even with my vintage lace linens.
Maybe. Maybe

For you.

You bring out the Dolores del Río in me.
The Mexican spitfire in me.
The raw navajas, glint and passion in me.
The raise Cain and dance with the rooster-footed devil in me.
The spangled sequin in me.
The eagle and serpent in me.
The mariachi trumpets of the blood in me.
The Aztec love of war in me.
The fierce obsidian of the tongue in me.
The berrinchuda, bien-cabrona, in me.
The Pandora's curiosity in me.
The pre-Columbian death and destruction in me.
The rainforest disaster, nuclear threat in me.
The fear of fascists in me.
Yes, you do. Yes, you do.

You bring out the colonizer in me.
The holocaust of desire in me.
The Mexico City ‘85 earthquake in me.
The Popocatepetl/Ixtaccíhuatl in me.
The tidal wave of recession in me.
The Agustín Lara hopeless romantic in me.
The barbacoa taquitos on Sunday in me.
The cover the mirrors with cloth in me.

Sweet twin. My wicked other,
I am the memory that circles your bed nights,
that tugs you taut as moon tugs ocean.
I claim you all mine,
arrogant as Manifest Destiny.
I want to rattle and rent you in two.
I want to defile you and raise hell.
I want to pull out the kitchen knives,
dull and sharp, and whisk the air with crosses.
Me sacas lo mexicana en mi,
like it or not, honey.

You bring out the Uled-Nayl in me.
The stand-back-white-bitch in me.
The switchblade in the boot in me.
The Acapulco cliff diver in me.
The Flecha Roja mountain disaster in me.
The dengue fever in me.
The ¡Alarma! murderess in me.
I could kill in the name of you and think
it worth it. Brandish a fork and terrorize rivals,
female and male, who loiter and look at you,
languid in your light. Oh,

I am evil. I am the filth goddess Tlazoltéotl.
I am the swallower of sins.
The delicious debauchery. You bring out
the primoridal exquisiteness in me.
The nasty obsession in me.
The corporal and venial sin in me.
The original transgression in me.

Red ocher. Yellow ocher. Indigo. Cochineal.
Piñón. Copal. Sweetgrass. Myrrh.
All you saints, blessed and terrible.
Virgen de Guadalupe, diosa Coatlicue,
I invoke you.

Quiero se tuya. Only yours. Only you.
Quiero amarte. Atarte. Amarrate.
Love the way a Mexican woman loves.
Let me show you. Love the only way I know how.

 

Your Turn: Now you get to try your hand at writing a poem “after” Cisneros. “You Bring Out the Vietnamese in Me” by Bao Phi has become quite famous and insprational on its own (YouTube Reading). “You Bring Out the Korean Adoptee in Me” by Christy NaMee Eriksen includes a musical accompaniment. A fascinating collective poem focuses on the Day of the Dead, ”You Bring Out the Muerta in Me.” Student illustrations inspired by the content of this poem can be found for sixth and seventh grade students in the Falcon Gallery.

Listen to Cisneros read this poem.

Back to Poem-a-Day.

Updated 15 January 2023.