Being there during the tail end of Jacarandà season Was a gift passed into my ungrateful hands. Purple blossoms scattered the streets near Frida Kahlo’s house I thought of butterflies, the ones Kahlo kept pinned in a frame And the Monarch species that migrate to Mexico each year Which are now endangered Kahlo and Rivera’s kitchen was a wonder, Full of decorations, beautiful tiles, Even the house’s entryway was colorful, full of strange delights I stood in the courtyard, buzzing, full of butterflies Traversing the river on a boat in Xochimilco, There was always something to look at, something new, The water was murky but the sky beautifully clear I talked and laughed with my friend As dogs yelped, mariachi bands played, Delivering floating performances on the colorful trajineras. I ate elote and wanted to dive into the polluted water Too aware of the way this beauty will fade. I gorged myself on churros in the park Dreaming up a future where this doesn’t have to disappear Where we beat the 2030 predictions, Change our ways, stop the destruction Dipping the fried dough into caramel and chocolate sauce, Sugar and cinnamon coated my tongue, the roof of my mouth I was sweating in the heat, enveloped by the sounds of people Still I found time to think about hope, Its profound power, and the critical capacity for change At Tenochtitlan, the sun beat down harshly, The sweltering heat made the gravel and sand swim and go hazy With hands slightly sweaty from a sheen of sunscreen, I took the stairs sideways as I made my way to the platform Great slabs of rock, arranged thousands of years ago At the top I peered out at the horizon, mountains and greenery, Letting myself get lost in the view There was violence there, inherited for generations It seeped into the soil, the destruction of so many cultures Still, persistence is a human instinct. My friend and I took a selfie, Another pyramid in the background, Smiling for the camera, squinting in the midday sun, I was a tourist in a site of wonder and blood
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