Date of Discovery: July 8, 2011

Location of Discovery: Ocotillo, California, Imperial County

Age: 20-40

Likely Heritage: Central American or Mexican

Additional Information: The area she was found in is frequently travelled by undocumented migrants crossing into the US. Nearby her were white sneakers, a pearl-type bracelet, and a blanket.

perhaps you found sanctuary in the dunes

after the journey, perhaps you learned to love

the smell of the rain as you followed storms here on foot

your sneakers were Air

Forced Ones and your skills on the court were all

telling of why everyone from home knew you’d make it with

your blanket, the strands died in

black and grey and white and red, and perhaps

your favorite hand-me-down was the bracelet

from your grandmother, the amulet that protected you so long

saving you from the onlookers wondering who/what is

she/they/ella/elle and when/why are they

going to arrive

perhaps in another life, you’ve made it through to the Mojave

ready to come inside, drenched in the stench of the sun

a cold shower and a warm bowl of arroz caldo ready for you,

I’m excited to cue up your favorite novelas as I try to convince you

to watch their best teleserye adaptations. here, you catch

a whiff of Mother Earth’s tears soaking

the bush and we stay inside

together

as I think of the star

you must have been, I can’t help but

search for you on the map and wonder

where you laid down

‍ ‍for the last time, it must have been around

a grove of creosote

their seeds must have crossed wide rivers like

you, blown over by monstrous winds a long

ways to go before landing in

the corner of the Colorado Desert

where teeth of brutes must be rounded to pearls

strung together as trophies

each man they first belonged to touting themselves as

a hero, as if they aren’t

the center of all the narratives and

you must have been more than a plot point

that raised the stakes in his story