In this prelingual state
I am jungle gym
and pillow.
In picture books
I learn that a bear cub
nurses while its mother
hibernates, that whales
and dolphins swim
and suck.
You cling to your
meal ticket, like
a monkey infant.
Cling and climb.
Climb and swing.
At night, you turn
heat seeking
missile, latch
on, eyes closed.
Foal, puggle, calf,
piglet, cub, kitten,
joey, or pup – your kin.
Nap-nursing on my
lap, you’ve made
a mammal out of me.
Li Yun Alvarado is the author of the chapbooks Words or Water and Nuyorico, CA. A poet and scholar, her work has appeared in Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education; The Acentos Review; PMS Poemmemoirstory; and Cura: A Literary Magazine of Art and Action, among others. She has served as the Senior Poetry Editor for Kweli Journaland is an alumna of VONA/Voices Writing Workshop and AROHO. Li Yun is a native New Yorker living in Long Beach, California who takes frequent trips to Salinas, Puerto Rico to visit la familia. www.liyunalvarado.com
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