LOS HOGARES DE MI LENGUA (The Homes of My Tongue)
By Chelsea Guevara
Spanish was always the cutest boy at the dance. And my tongue now sways with him under the roof of my mouth like she’d dreamt about for years.
I say Utah is home, but I bring him through the doors and so many say he is too loud above the beat; does not dance rigid, dance right. Like they do.
We nestle in the corners they don’t want to visit at the family parties. This is where I’ve found the truest definition of home. Where we host the family who wants to learn his footwork, and host the family who has known every step its whole life. Who’s known him longer than before I realized I couldn’t say I was home, without him here, too.
Chelsea Guevara is a spoken-word poet and University of Utah student whose work focuses on identity. A Caucasian and Salvadoran-American from West Jordan, she finds joy in amplifying the voices and experiences of marginalized people, especially in the Latinx community.