Born in Indio, California in 1978, John Olivares Espinoza derives his poetic inspiration through his days working as a gardener with his family, which is reflected in his first full-length collection of poetry, The Date Fruit Elegies (Bilingual Press Review, 2008), a finalist for the Northern California Book Award in Poetry. His chapbooks include Aluminum Times (2002), winner of […]
What first comes across our minds About the stocky Mexican Pushing a mower across the lawn […]
My brothers and I cool off in the yard Of our new home with hoses and spray bottles— Our faces filled with laughter and clear skies. Two older boys on a motorbike take a spin around the block. Their middle fingers in the air Cut through the afternoon like car antennas. They park their bikes […]
My father invented the automobile. My mother was a beautiful cross-eyed pianist. Because show-biz talent evaded my brother Dickie, He spent most his life in the nut house. I, deemed the boy genius at eighteen Months, played piano, violin, and learned magic Tricks from the Vaudevillians by the time I was four. By six, […]
One gray Thursday in winter break, Albert and I plucked patches of grass From petunia beds wide as swimming pools Within a condo complex; one-story stucco blocks For old men who wipe sweat with dollar bills. We spent our school vacations in shivers: Raking, trimming, and mowing frosted yards with Dad. At the eighth hour […]
We were the newest broke Mexicans to settle in Indio, Mom having quit her job at school To rest her neck, tense from hovering Like a desk lamp over the Special-Ed kids. Albert and I, barely hip-high To our mother, unaware of our budget, Salivated as we thought about the dry buns, The Grade B […]
My youngest brother marches Into our dimly lit family room, Complains about the Metro Cinema, […]
As the sight in my left eye Worsens each year, The other gets sharper. My right eye Tells the other, Do not fret. I’ll watch over you Like a little brother. * When I shut my right eye The world loses all detail: People become traces Of themselves, souls of what Once […]