Mekspsycho

I'm not going in search of Roberto Bolaño's Mexico.
I'm not going to chase jaraneros.
I'm going...I'm going hoping V finds freedom of speech.

Hasta la victoria!

In the pockets of dead Marines

trash
a crumpled up napkin
a piece of paper
a spoon to eat with
some money
pictures
letters
a sonogram picture of a fetus from a pregnant wife

(From NPR's Fresh Air that was aired on June 21, 2011.  Jess Goodell spoke about her eight month experience recovering and processing the remains of fallen troops.  She wrote a book with John Hearn, Shade It Black: Death and After in Iraq).

i want to work for this school

Little Hands

Le dí la mano a 21 estudiantes. Me despedí de ellos por última vez. Las lunas de sus manos sudaban. Algunas estaban sucias y pegosteosas. Otras  manitas solo tenían hambre y rios de soledad.  Le dí la mano por última vez a esos niños que dibujan cuartos con paredes naranja y gente de palitos morados. Se fueron esas manos que todavia dibujan  flores del tamaño de las personas..

  

Something is Happening

Please hear me out, I'm gonna share with you some facts you didn't know about my husband:

1. His political Facebook page gets more than 4 million views a month. Yes,  4 million!!!

2. Don't google his name, you won't find him on Facebook. Is not about his name or ego, it's all about El Movimiento.

3. I have to say he is not the only one who works his ass off on this Facebook page, there are  other incredibly smart men that also contribute to the page, so please allow me a few seconds to tell how proud I am of  my husband and the men who spend hours and hours fighting against the corrupt Mexican government. 

I won't tell you his Facebook address. V. has made it clear he wants to keep his blog and his Facebook separately as much as possible.

Today I went with him to Los Angeles to a political rally. He was concerned I'd get bored, but I didn't. Are you kidding?!  I love political rally desmadre!!! Besides, the situation at my work is in the shits, I desperately needed some L.A.

But, wait! Why am I telling you this? Because he won't. Because he's too humble, too proud...too human.

Before the rally was over, the Mexican national anthem was played. I looked at him and told him: this is too nationalistic for me-even the U.S. national anthem is too much for me. He looked at me and told me, I agree. Let's go.

I don't know where his Facebook page is going to take him(us), but something is happening.

Teaching is a motherfucker

A parent came to my classroom this morning to tell me three of my  students sexually harassed her daughter  during recess. This is what my male students told the girl:

Your zipper is down. X's zipper is down too so he's gonna stick his dick up your ass until you scream ooooh aaaah ooooooooooooh!

Obviously, disciplinary action was taken against these boys. I'm still dumbfounded that these words came out of 8 year-olds.

Oh, dear God, I don't think I'm going to make it.

5 more days of school

(If you recall, I transferred to another school this school year. I work in the 'hood where I grew up).

1. I'm exhausted.

2. I still have one student that cannot read.

3. I feel like I'm angry all the time.

4. I see students eating Hot Cheetos for breakfast.

5. Parents are afraid to tell their 7 year-old kids "no."

6. A mother shows up to school with needle marks on her arm.

7. I feel disappointed.

8. Some parents know more about their cars than their child's academic performance.

9. C. told me several times during the school year that his mother didn't love him. I told him, Of course she loves you, C. When he earned an award for improvement in reading his mother didn't attend the awards assembly.

10. A first grader was spotted going around the 'hood and knocking at people's doors. He'd say: I'm hungry. Can you give me something to eat?

11. One of my students showed up to school with a black eye and a bruise on his face.  He claimed he fell at the park.

12. Some parents don't see their children due to their working schedule.

13. Teaching was a motherfucker this year.

14. Ms. A, my mom said she can't come to the conference because she's gonna watch the telenovela.

15. Me:  Señora,  le llamo porque su hija no pone atención a la lección. Se pierde en su mudo y a veces se ve preocupada.
Señora: Aaay, maestra... es que (starts crying) su papá  tiene dos meses en Tijuana y no ha podido pasar la frontera. Yo ya no se que hacer.

16. I'm drowning.