CesarChavezCesarChavez

By Valeka Cruz

My cousin was a bodyguard for Cesar Chavez, he says.
He also worked as a DJ for a radio station in San Diego or someplace like that.
We had café y pan dulce en la casa. Hablemos de nuestra familia.
That’s nice, I say. You mentioned that when we talked yesterday.
We talked yesterday, he asks.
Si, Apà. We did, I say.
Oh, he says.
He breathes in deeply.
You used to write stories when you were little, he says.
I still do, Dad. You’ve read my work, I say.
Oh, I have, he asks.
Yeah, Dad. You have many times, I say.
Oh, he says.
He breathes in a deep, wheezing breath.
Did I tell you that my cousin was a bodyguard for Cesar Chavez, he asks.

Valeka Cruz is a writer, essayist, and poet living in Austin, Texas. Her work has been published in various publications and journals including the Valley International Poetry Festival’s Boundless Anthology for 2021 and 2022 and the forthcoming issue of La Libreta Online Poetry Journal.