Deciding to Belong

I’m taking my place on the street,
contributing my part of presence.
My folding chair is canvas red.
Round about six in the evenings,
I set it on the sidewalk
right in front of my door.

Emilio and Monica come over to greet me
from across the street where they live.
Emilio carries his grandbaby in his arms
with such palpable love.
Guillermina, maybe the eldest on the block,
tells me her large extended family
shares the complex next door.
Alan, age seven,
shows me his latest drawing.

I’m taking my place on the street.
To Mexican sensibility,
sitting by myself, well,
it must seem strange.
Over half of us gringos live alone
but Mexicans, well,
they simply don’t.

At dusk, the emerald mountains
receive the sun’s last rays.
Only twelve blocks away,
they’ve got my back. Like them,
I’m declaring myself grounded,
coming out as a neighbor.
I take my place on the street where I live,
deciding at last
to belong.

©Susa Silvermarie 2023