CEDRÓN

CEDRÓN

By Annie Christina Abundiz

Cedrón is a love letter to the cultural wealth of our Eastside community and ancestors, connecting us across time and regions. I bring in my grandmother to celebrate loved ones who teach us that care, love, and comprehension are the nourishing elements to harvest a more just and loving future.

In my grandmother’s house

there is a garden

a place where magic is cultivated

A plant named Cedrón

grows with love

to nourish our souls.

While she boils the water

preparing a tea,

my grandmother tells stories

of her past and present.

I drink the tea

as I listen to her voice,

a melody of our wisdom.

My grandmother reminds me

that we must nourish

body and soul

in order to heal.

Her stories cure

wounds of a country

neglecting to see

our beauty.

With each cup of Cedrón

I learn more about our culture.

How we care for,

love and protect one another.

I learn to value

our cultural wealth,

what others did not value in you and I.

My grandmother’s values

flow through my veins.

I am love and hope.

We are the magic of the garden.

Lulled by the warmth of the sun,

I ask Mother Nature,

forgive the pain

we have inflicted on you.

I hope we can heal

our scars together.

I dream of rivers

and green landscapes.

Planting a future

with roots in the minds

of our ancestors.

Beloved grandmother,

thank you for nourishing

the magic in me.

Thank you for loving and protecting

our community.

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