Making Enchiladas
We set up an assembly line.
I heat the tortillas in manteca
after Crystal dips them in chile ancho
and drains them. Niles carries full plates
of hot tortillas to his father,
who rolls them around spoonfuls of filling.
When we’ve finished the hot, greasy work,
I pour the last of the sauce over neat rows
of stuffed tortillas, sprinkle them with cheese,
clean the stove and counters.
The kids help their father rinse plates and pans.
They don’t know this is the last time.
The cheese melts. Crystal
dances to “No More Lonely Nights” on the radio.
Niles and his dad joke and wrestle.
After grace, we sit before steaming plates.
The kids stuff their mouths, insult each other,
and laugh. We can’t avoid their eyes
forever. Their father and I stare
at each other across the table.
Copyright Credit: Linda Rodriguez, "Making Enchiladas" from Heart’s Migration. Copyright © 2009 by Linda Rodriguez. Reprinted by permission of Tia Chucha Press.