Rossy Evelin Lima

Hacia el sur
En la frontera hay letreros
que señalan con una flecha
hacia dónde está México: hacia el sur.
 
Yo siempre corro a ponerme atrás de ellos
esperando que esa flecha
se clave en mis pasos
esperando que esa flecha
me haga una marca en el rostro
mientras me traspasa para seguir su rumbo: hacia el sur.
 
Corro a ponerme atrás de cada letrero deseando que la flecha
sea un arpón y mi pecho cristal,
que se divida en mil estelas,
esperando tragarme esa flecha
como una espina,
como un ancla.
Hacia donde está México: hacia adentro.
​
Headed South
On the border there are signs,
an arrow that points
the direction toward Mexico: south.
 
I always run to put myself behind them
hoping that this arrow
fixes my steps
hoping that the arrow
will imprint itself on my forehead
while it runs on continuing its route: south.
 
I run to put myself behind every sign hoping that the arrow
will harpoon my crystal chest,
shattering it into a thousand trails,
hoping to swallow the arrow
like a thorn,
like an anchor.
Which direction is Mexico: within.
_______________
See two more poems, below, "To my brother" and "Three Hearts"

We are excited to showcase three poems from Windward contributor, friend, and colleague, Rossy Evelin Lima. All three poems are published in her book Migrare Mutare and translated by Don Cellini. Dr. Lima is an essential voice in our region, as well as nationally and internationally. We are also pleased to publish new poetry from Dr. Lima in Windward's forthcoming Vol. 18. Described by Juan Felipe Herrera as a "lyrical warrior crossing," Lima has recently joined the faculty in the Spanish Department at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.  Bienvenido, Dr. Lima! 

Rossy Evelin Lima (August 18, 1986 Veracruz Mexico), holds a PhD in linguistics and is an international award-winning poet. Her work has been published in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies in Spain, Italy, UK, Canada, United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Colombia and Argentina. She received the Poet of the Year Award by The Americas Poetry Festival of New York (NY, 2018), the Premio Internazionale di Poesia La Finestra Eterea award (Milan, Italy, 2017), the International Latino Book Award (USA, 2016), the Premio Orgullo Fronterizo Mexicano award by the Institute of Mexicans Abroad (USA, 2016), the Premio Internazionale di Poesia Altino award (Venice, Italy, 2015), and the National Gabriela Mistral Award by the National Hispanic Honor Society (USA, 2010), among others. She is the president and founder of the Latin American Foundation for the Arts, the founder of the International Latin American Poetry Festival (FeIPoL), as well as the founder of Jade Publishing. In 2015, she was invited to speak at TEDxMcallen to talk about her experience as an immigrant writer in the U.S. In 2020, her poetry book Aguacamino/Waterpath was translated to Serbian and published in Belgrade.

You can find her work and books on her website,
www.rossylima.com
Also, two poems online at Switchgrass Review. Vol. 3. 

​A mi hermano
Yo no soy extranjero
repítelo hasta que le quede claro,
Yo no soy extranjero
mueve las manos frente a su cara
dile que te faltan dedos
para contar las vidas, los años
en esta,
tu casa.
Yo no soy extranjero
repite con tu lengua desenredada
dile que tu madre y la suya parieron juntas
que extranjero es el que viene
de otras tierras
y tu brotaste como espiga de maíz
en una sola América.

​To my brother
I’m not a foreigner
say it until it’s perfectly clear,
I’m not a foreigner
move your hands in front of his face
tell him you need more fingers to count the lives, the years
in this,
your home.
I’m not a foreigner
repeat it with your tongue untangled
tell him that your mother and his mother
gave birth together,
that the foreigner is the one who
comes from another land
and you sprouted like an ear of corn
in the only America.

Tres Corazones
Tres corazones llevo en el pecho,
uno de fuego
tleyotl
uno de flor
yoloxochitl
uno de agua
yoloatl
Tleyotl hace que hierva mi sangre,
que en el campo
se alce un círculo de salvaguardia en brasas,
Tleyotl es la lámpara incandescente,
el carbón utilizado en esta nave
que no cede el paso y avanza y avanza.
Yoloxochitl me conjura para volverme felina,
cazadora de la esencia bendita de mi pasado,
me acerca, me lleva de las fauces
y me deja perdida con las garras enterradas
en la tierra.
Yoloxochitl nunca me engaña
me lleva hacia el espejo.
Yoloatl Ompa Ompa en la sequía
Yoloatl Ompa Ompa entre las calles
Yoloatl Ompa Ompa mi lengua de agua
se vierte para convertirnos en peces
y comenzar de nuevo.
Yoloatl está lleno de lirios cifrados,
se acercan a él mis fluidas ensoñaciones,
Yoloatl busca mi sed más profunda
y me da una gota
para seguir hirviendo
para verterme, al fin
y en este suelo comenzar de nuevo.

Three Hearts
I carry three hearts in my chest,
one of fire
tleyotl
one of flowers
yoloxochitl
one of water
yoloatl.
Tleyotl makes my blood boil,
so that in the field
a circle of safeguards rises up in flame.
Tleyotl is an incandescent lamp,
the coal used by this ship
which gives way to no one, and goes on and on.
Yoloxochitl advises me to return to the feline,
huntress of the blessed essence of my past,
she approaches and carries me with her teeth,
stranded, she leaves with my claws
in the soil.
Yoloxochitl never deceives me
but leads me toward the mirror.
Yoloatl Ompa Ompa in the drought
Yoloatl Ompa Ompa in the streets
Yoloatl Ompa Ompa my tongue of water
spills itself to make us into fish
and begin again.
Yoloatl is full of coded lilies,
my fluid yearnings aproach them.
Yoloatl seeks my deepest thirst
and gives me a drop
to continue boiling
to spill myself in this soil
and in the end to begin again.

Noyolkanyólkej
by Gerald Padilla & Rossy Evelin Lima
​
"This children's book is published by Floricanto Press. Animals of My Land is the first children's trilingual book published in Nahuatl, Spanish and English in the United States and is designed to nourish the important bond between language, nature and culture. This book has been created with the intention of reconnecting with the ancient Aztec civilization and their language, while also cultivating both English and Spanish. With this book, children will be able to interact with Quetzali’s friends in three languages and learn to treasure animals as our friends." 


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