kneeling in the pews, my parents prayed
to the statue of Christ for protection.

we were new to Chicago. we were new
to the United States. alone you might think,

but it wasn’t just Christ in that church.
there was the Mexican family that housed us.

the Mexican family that connected us
with immigration lawyers. the Mexican family

that got my dad a job. the Mexican family
that invited us to birthday parties. the Mexican family

that showed us how to make calls back to México.
there was the Mexican family gossiping behind

our backs. alone? my parents couldn’t drink a beer
without someone’s primo asking for a sip.

kneeling in that church, there was salvation everywhere.
give Christ the credit if you want, but he never did

whisper the winning lottery numbers in our ears.
in that church there was a priest offering salvation later

& there were Mexicans with no time to wait.