Antonio López
GI Joe’s Stretcher Visits Chuy for his Cinco Años
“Dios te salve María llena eres de gracia el Señor es contigo.”
“Mariela, vete atrás del boiler con Hernán.”
“Ma, no te voy a dejarte aquí.”
“Amá, what’s going on?”
“Hernán, vete a tu cuarto, y cierra las cortinas.
Despierta tu hermanito.”
“Wha-Why?
“Porque sí.”
“But who’s outside?”
Are they dropping off the bouncy house?!
This early?!”
“No-Nomás obedézcame!”
“Amá no tienes que abrir la puerta.
Dijo la directora que si no has cometido ningún delito…”
“¿Pero qué tal si regresen?”
“Pues que regresen.
No has hecho nada.”
“Bendita tú eres entre todas la mujeres,
y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre…”
“¿Jesús? ¡Chuy! ¡Retírate de la puerta!”
“Mom! You really got me the G.I. Joe—”
“Hello son. Your mom’s going to go with us for a couple hours.”
“Are you Ace? But where’s your pilot helmet?
O-Or your jump suit?’
“Amá, who are they?
“Santa María Madre de Dios.”
“Ruega por nosotros pecadores.”
“Que no cheqan el basement.
Madre adornada con la sábana del cielo,
oiga mi oración.”
“Forget it.
We’ll just get her an interpreter at the office.
Come on.”
“Don’t fucking touch her.
She ain’t do nothing!”
“Calm dow—
Young lady you need to sto—
“Get off!
Y’all some fucking cowards!”
hand restraining the girl!”
“We not the criminals! The fuck we do wrong?”
“Ahora en la hora.”
“Amá!”
“Ahora en la hora.”
“Amá snap out of it!”
“Hey Captain, heard some things
moving from the basement.”
“Por el amor de Dios,
it’s my little brother’s birthday!
You gonna take his mom when he’s five?!”
“¡Clara Mendoza! Por favor!
No puedo vivir sin—”
“Found another boy!
Looks older, in his teens!”
“De nuestra, de nuestra…”
“Maaaaaaa!”
“Wait wait Wilson let her go!
Think she might faint!
“She’s having a panic attack!
Please let me go!
She needs something sweet!”
“Mue-Muer—”
“There’s chocolate in her purse!”
let the girl g—.
Ah shit!”
“Get back! I said GET BACK!”
Just give her some air!”
“Maa! Maa!”
“Dios te salv—…Dios te salv…”
“You pieces of shit!”
We’re at 240 Northwood Circle.
“Protect and serve mi culo!
Imma hit up every station
and sink your whole department!”
Suspect’s unconscious.”
“Y’all ain’t got no heart! Y’all ain’t even let her breathe!
Are we even human to you?!”
“Mari, what happened to mama?”
“She’s….
she’s just sick.
We’re gonna take her to the hospital.”
“Sick? Oh…
Stretcher’s the GI Team’s doctor.
He’ll know what to do
Can I bring him?”
“OK…OK traetelo honey.”
“Hey mi’jo?”
“Yeah Marie-rie?”
“How would you like to meet a real-life Stretcher?”
Editor’s note: The seemless and usually unmarked switching between Spanish and English in the poems of Antonio López is an important and meaningful feature of his prosody. In the case of this poem, however, I wanted readers to be able to follow the gripping narrative, so I asked Antonio to provide a complete English translation and he agreed. The author’s own translation is presented in full below.
Antonio López
GI Joe’s Stretcher Visits Chuy for his Fifth Birthday
“Hail Mary full of grace. The Lord is with you.”
“Mariela, go to the back of the boiler room with Hernán.”
“No, Ma; I won’t leave you here.”
“Mama, what’s going on?”
“Hernán, go to your room and close the curtains.
Wake up your little brother.”
“Wha-Why?
“Because I said so.”
“But who’s outside?”
Are they dropping off the bouncy house?!
This early?!”
“Just do as I say!”
“Mama, you don’t have to open the door.
The principal said that if you haven’t committed any crime…”
“But what if they come back?”
“Then let them come back!
You haven’t done anything wrong!”
“Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb…”
“¿Jesús? ¡Chuy! Get away from the door!”
“Mom! You really got me the G.I. Joe—”
“Hello son. Your mom’s going to go with us for a couple hours.”
“Are you Ace? But where’s your pilot helmet?
O-Or your jump suit?’
“Mama, who are they?
“Hail Mary, Mother of God.”
“Pray for us sinners.”
“Please let them not check the basement.
Mother adorned with heaven’s shawl,
hear my prayer.”
“Forget it.
We’ll just get her an interpreter at the office.
Come on.”
“Don’t fucking touch her.
She ain’t do nothing!”
“Calm dow—
Young lady you need to sto—
“Get off!
Y’all some fucking cowards!”
hand restraining the girl!”
“We not the criminals! The fuck we do wrong?”
“And now at the hour.”
“Mama!”
“And now at the hour.”
“Mama snap out of it!”
“Hey Captain, heard some things
moving from the basement.”
“For the love of God,
it’s my little brother’s birthday!
You gonna take his mom when he’s five?!”
“Clara Mendoza! Please!
I cannot live without—”
“Found another boy!
Looks older, in his teens!”
“Of our, of our…”
“Maaaaaaa!”
“Wait wait Wilson let her go!
Think she might faint!
“She’s having a panic attack!
Please let me go!
She needs something sweet!”
“De-De—”
“There’s chocolate in her purse!”
let the girl g—.
Ah shit!”
“Get back! I said GET BACK!”
Just give her some air!”
“Maa! Maa!”
“Hail Ma-…Hail Ma…”
“You pieces of shit!”
We’re at 240 Northwood Circle.
“Protect and serve my ass!
Imma hit up every station
and sink your whole department!”
Suspect’s unconscious.”
“Y’all ain’t got no heart! Y’all ain’t even let her breathe!
Are we even human to you?!”
“Mari, what happened to mama?”
“She’s….
she’s just sick.
We’re gonna take her to the hospital.”
“Sick? Oh…
Stretcher’s the GI Team’s doctor.
He’ll know what to do
Can I bring him?”
“OK…OK bring it with you sweetheart.”
“Hey honey?”
“Yeah Marie-rie?”
“How would you like to meet a real-life Stretcher?”
Antonio López‘s poems have appeared or are forthcoming in PEN/America, Acentos Review, Hispanecdotes, Sapelo Square, and Sinking City. His nonfiction has appeared in TeenInk and The Chronicle. Antonio works at the intersections of language, faith, social justice movements, and education. His undergraduate thesis, Spic’ing into Existence, explored the concept of ethnopoetics as people of color’s artistic-political response to regimes of power. Originally from East Palo Alto, California, he is currently pursuing a Master in Fine Arts (poetry) at Rutgers University-Newark.
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