(Photo courtesy of Daniela Robles)

Creative Writing

Poem: I will never forget

  I remember listening to my mom’s romantic Spanish music, my dad’s cumbia band and my sister’s violin recitals. I remember listening to the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and early 2000s.   I remember eating the diversity of foods, from Mexican to Guatemalan, to Chinese and even Mediterranean. I remember looking at my plate, imagining…
<a href="https://highschool.latimes.com/author/roblesdani4/" target="_self">Daniela Robles</a>

Daniela Robles

April 28, 2019

 

I remember listening to my mom’s romantic Spanish music,

my dad’s cumbia band and my sister’s violin recitals.

I remember listening to the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s

and early 2000s.

 

I remember eating the diversity of foods,

from Mexican to Guatemalan,

to Chinese and even Mediterranean.

I remember looking at my plate,

imagining if it was a festival of colors.

I remember eating my mother’s food,

richer and finer than bland school lunches.

I remember strolling through an alley

just to get to my grandma’s house.

I remember my birthdays,

my nose pressed onto the cake

and playing with my sister, cousins and neighbors.

 

I remember hearing the horn

and smelling the bread and sweets

when the van came to the streets to sell.

I remember hearing street vendors

hollering to attract customers to buy food.

 

I remember going to church

and hearing my dad play the organ

that echoed the whole room.

I remember walking the streets of Cesar Chavez,

only to accompany my mom with her errands.

 

I remember listening to diversity of sounds and music

when I walk in the streets of Boyle Heights.

I remember looking at art in bus stops,

trashcans, walls at convenient stores and schools.

 

I remember coming back from school,

only to listen to my mom watch “El Gordo y la Flaca”

and “Primer Impacto.”

I remember getting ill from my stomach

and getting my appetizing remedies such as crackers

and 7 Up or Mountain Dew.

 

I remember school dances and events in elementary school

that only brought me joy.

I remember going to Hollenbeck Park,

only to feed the ducks bread and tortillas.

I remember going to family reunions,

where I had to greet everyone.

 

I remember family trips going north of California,

looking at the beautiful scenery of beaches,

forests, mountains and plains.

I remember wandering near the ocean shore

and hearing the waves like it was a harmony in an orchestra,

a church choir or an a capella group.

 

I remember drawing and listening to music

believing that I was watching a movie

of my own creation.

I remember dancing in parties

and getting lost in the rhythm.

I remember looking at my art progress

and dreaming that someday it will

come to life.

 

I will remember that someday,

whenever I leave my home, Boyle Heights,

if I will ever be known for my art or talents

and if I will ever come back for a visit,

I will never forget.

Scholar-athlete Cody Going: off to Division 1

Scholar-athlete Cody Going: off to Division 1

Cody Going has been in Mission Viejo high school’s football program, a team ranked number four in California by MaxPreps, for five long years. From his time in eighth grade to now he’s been able to see the athletes at Mission Viejo High grow from teammates to a...