All this beauty cut down, all this sweetness
turning to rot, as we gather around
the pleather chairs in the funeral home’s living room.
Flower arrangements mark the rectangular place,
center stage, where the coffin will be, while we greet
the early mourners, each pésame, pat on the back,
sympathetic nod, squeeze of the hand, adds one more
bloom to the dizzying smell. I catch my sons modeling
their navy suits in a mirror & I caution their preening.
Yes, you’re handsome but don’t linger. They stand next
to my husband & show off new graces, smiles & charm.
I love them for their lightness. My youngest daughter,
who’s also taller than me, hovers like a shadow,
holds my hand, chin on my shoulder, & when it’s too much,
bows her head, paints a half-moon on the silk
of my back. I bought their dark clothes,
I taught them how to respond when someone says I’m sorry.
And when their grandfather’s coffin is wheeled in,
the scene is almost complete. Our family stands in line & I wonder
if we’ll know when it’s time to stop rehearsing.
Alexandra Lytton Regalado received an MFA in poetry from Florida International University and an MFA in fiction from Pacific University. She is the author of Matria (Black Lawrence Press, 2017), which received the St. Lawrence Book Award. Regalado is co-director of Editorial Kalina and editor of Puntos de fuga/Vanishing Points (Editorial Kalina, 2017), a bilingual anthology of contemporary Salvadoran prose. She lives in San Salvador, El Salvador. *NOTE: Alexandra Lytton Regalado is also an editor with SWWIM Every Day.
Excerpted from Relinquenda: Poems by Alexandra Lytton Regalado (Beacon Press, 2022). Reprinted with permission of Beacon Press.
Alexandra Lytton Regalado’s latest book is Reliquenda: Poems (Beacon Press, 2022), a National Poetry Series winner.Visit with her and her work at the Miami Book Fair 2022 on 11/20 at 11 am at 6100. Cover art by: Verónica Vides.
Welcome to SWWIM Every Day’s preview coverage of Miami Book Fair (MBF) 2021! The poets whose work you’ll be reading every weekday from October 25 through November 12 are just a few of the many authors from around the world participating in this year’s MBF, the nation’s largest gathering of writers and readers of all ages. They all look forward to sharing their work, thoughts, and ideas both in person and online. Between November 14 and November 21, new poet conversations and readings will be launched and available for free on miamibookfaironline.com (in addition to other content). For more information, visit the website and follow MBF on Instagram and Twitter at @miamibookfair and use the hashtag #miamibookfair2021.