Falling in love with fellow prisoners : poems / by Gwendolyn Zepeda ; with preface by Lucha Corpi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zepeda, Gwendolyn.

Standardized Title:

Poems. Selections

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American poetry.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (88 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Houston, Texas : Arte Público Press, [2013]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Gwendolyn Zepeda, a Houston native who has struggled to escape the inner-city barrio she grew up in, wonders why she's crying about her long commute to the suburbs. Single with three sons, Zepeda made her way in corporate America, "the cold, beige womb of a money-grubbing mother," in the fight to provide them with better opportunities. Along the way, she has had to come to terms with the guilt of working in physical comfort while others work outside, trapped in dangerous jobs; the realization that the quality of her work doesn't really matter to anyone; and obnoxious male bosses who need "a wife on the side," or worse, proudly report their sons' sexual exploits. She has survived, even prospered, but her innermost fears still haunt her: "I like lying safe with you / Here in the dark, but still / Keep planning in case / I'm left alone." Whether musing on dysfunctional relationships or parenthood, Zepeda captures the aching loneliness and vulnerability of contemporary urban life.

Contents:

""Contents""; ""Raised Catholic""; ""A Locust a Hundred Feet Up""; ""Paranoid""; ""The Mexican in Me""; ""The White in Me""; ""Tempt""; ""Prayer to a Man""; ""Elders""; ""These People""; ""I Had a Job I Hated""; ""A Man Needs a Woman""; ""I Ruined My Work Shirt with Jack in the Box Taco Sauce""; ""Strongly Felt Sensations of This Morning""; ""The Elevator's Tight Squeeze""; ""Like a Baby Doll""; ""The Homeowner""; ""In the Parking Garage""; ""A Bad Feeling""; ""Eula in the Bathroom Stall""; ""9-to-5, After Noon""; ""His Son Is His Everything""; ""Falling in Love with Fellow Prisoners""

""Words for Nerds""""Unrequited""; ""Zombie Maker""; ""Blondes, More Fun""; ""Be Witch""; ""The Flower for December Is Narcissus""; ""Fishing""; ""Freckles""; ""This may be your favorite song, but""; ""(The Seuss Carried Over)""; ""Our Love Is Like a Bomb Shelter, Baby""; ""He dialed me by accident and I eavesdropped""; ""Ain't I a Woman""; ""Hush Now""; ""Girlfriend""; ""Embarrassing to Admit""; ""Situational Anemia""; ""Nicked Spine""; ""Child""; ""Self-Acceptance""; ""Malady, Adjusted""; ""Proposal""; ""Omega Wolf""; ""Strongly Felt Sensations""; ""That Music Made Me Cry""

""At the Animal Shelter, Was a Volunteer""""Curtainless Bohemian Girl""; ""Sunflower""; ""Why There Are So Many Songs About DJ's""; ""Winter""; ""This Girl I Know""; ""Springtime Is an Indomitable Monster""; ""Diner Trick""; ""Live Band""; ""Traveling""; ""Drive Through""; ""A Link""; ""You Are Missed, Mr. Rogers""; ""Vietnamese Noodle House""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-61192-600-9

OCLC:

922965613