Two Poems
Eloisa Pérez-LozanoEloísa Pérez-Lozano writes poems and essays about Mexican-American identity, motherhood, and women’s issues. She graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in psychology and an M.S. in journalism and mass communications. A 2016 Sundress Publications Best of the Net nominee, her work has been featured in The Texas Observer, Houston Chronicle, and Poets Reading the News, among others. She lives with her family in Houston, Texas.
“A City Drowning” first appeared in the Houston Chronicle.
A City Drowning
You listen to deception
innocent-sounding
pitter-patter on the windows
individual rain drops
falling slowly so you hear
each one’s small thump
Suddenly, they quicken
their voices meld together
into a thunderous song
an ominous chant, the soft roar
of a liquid beast, whose shape is
not one you can contain.
This is an assault on my city
as rain falls in sheets for days
beating, hammering
knocking the earth senseless
drowning her over and over
before she can come up for air.
Drops are tiny fists as they fall
pummeling the ground
and when she won’t give in
they soak her, saturate her
overtake her with millions
of themselves, joined together
gargantuan gallons of water
a storm of swirling waves
too much for us to take.
Houston’s Historians
Reporters take notes
Typing words feverishly
Recording stories.
Non-stop days and nights
They document the details
Of ruin and rescue.
Seeking out sources
Curating their catharsis
Turning tears to news.
Writing down our words
Their hands shape our history
Our voice to the world.