
Description
William O. Pate II reviews Alex Z. Salinas' debut book of poetry, WARBLES.
"The part when I speak un poquito Spanish, / But not the part when I can’t understand Grandma"
Painting by Briana Keeper
The part when I infiltrate the imperialist hive, But not the part when my wings fall off
The part when I can afford to shop at Target, But not the part when I still eat Taco Bell
The part when my skin looks white, But not the part when it tans after a hike
The part when I speak un poquito Spanish, But not the part when I can’t understand Grandma
The part when I earn a college degree, But not the part when I can barely pay for it
The part when I have many brothers and sisters, But not the part when there’re three mothers
The part when my father pronounces “chair” sher, But not the part when we laugh at him
The part when I am mistaken for full white, But not the part when my name sounds full brown
The part when I am blessed with rhythm, But not the part when I hate to dance
The part when I got it goin’ on in my pants, But not the part when I can’t keep it in
The part when I dreamt I was white, But not the part when I opened my eyes
The part when I dream I am Hispanic, But not the part when I open my eyes
San Antonian Alex Z. Salinas earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Mary’s University in 2011. His flash fiction has appeared online in Every Day Fiction, Nanoism, escarp, 101 Words, 101 Fiction, and ZeroFlash. He has also had poetry published in the San Antonio Express-News.
Brianna Keeper is a painter in Hunt, Texas.