While I’m reading this,
my friends are in the streets,
of Mexico City,
helping to find people
under the rubble.
They are looking for thousands of people
that are buried underneath tons,
and tons,
and tons,
of rock,
cement,
concrete,
iron,
glass.
They are looking for children,
who are trapped in their fallen schools.
In this precise moment,
while we listen to this,
all these children are screaming
with the last of their voices
to be rescued.
Entire buildings came down,
gas explosions,
people are in the streets,
nobody slept
in my destroyed city.
Yesterday there was an earthquake.
At 2 I was coming back
from Septa station.
My cellphone didn’t have service,
but once I entered to my house,
and greet my girlfriend,
I started receiving
messages from my friends,
then my parents,
my brothers,
more friends,
my cousins,
“I’m Ok” “I’m Ok” “Here we are fine”
But there was one,
an audio from a friend,
“Wey, mi abuela está allá, está enfrente de Parque España, puedes checar, porfa, es en la esquina de Sonora, por favor”
He was looking for his grandma.
And he was crying.
I was born in 1985.
My generation was called “The generation of the earthquake”.
But nobody imagined, that
32 years later,
the same day,
the same fucking day,
we will be living this again.
We grew with stories of the earthquake,
“my cousin died in this apartment”
“all Tlatelolco was in ruins”
“Ten thousand people died. Or maybe twelve thousand”
We grew with that.
We grew doing drills every year.
Same day,
same day,
Yesterday, at 11am
all the city did a drill,
but the earthquake hit two hours later.
Now we don't know,
how many people will be dead.
Or is dying now.
What we know,
is that buildings are still falling down,
this morning,
two more.
Rocks, rocks, rocks,
gas,
steel rods.
People dying, right know.
Children screaming, please, shut up.
Mexico is solidary.
“Are you ok?”
“Yes? I love you.”
Talk to you later”
Knowing that maybe I will find their names
in one of the lists,
of people rescued.
Or worst,
That I wont see their names again,
And the last message will be
that one.
Mexico is solidary.
I cried to see the video
of people moving stones.
“I’m in the streets of América and División del Norte, delegación Coyoacán, an apartment building just fall. There are people trapped, please help to spread. We need help. Only two ambulances had come and like 20 people helping. This just happen fifteen minutes ago. Any person who has family on this building or who knows, please send a text message or call this number to give your data and look for people, please help and spread this message as soon as possible. 5548476459”
I had read messages like that one after another.
“Parents of Daniel Sánchez of 3rd grade group C of Enrique Rebsamen School, your son is in Angeles Acoxpa Hospital, please Retweet”.
Thousands of messages like that.
Names
names of brothers,
sisters,
cousins,
friends,
parents.
And my friends,
brothers,
sisters,
cousins,
neighbors
are helping to remove stones.
Are asking to be quiet,
to hear the voices of the people trapped.
Are singing “Cielito Lindo” too,
in the middle of the night,
to keep the spirit high,
to bring some happiness in the middle of the smashed flesh.
We are strong,
we could stand up
32 years ago,
we will stand up again.
We will come from the ruins,
we will rebuild ourselves,
shoulder to shoulder,
as the videos of people
moving small stones.
Thousands of people,
moving thousands of small stones.
We need shovels, we need picks, we need gloves, we need drills, we need helmets, we need antibiotics, we need scissors, we need baby food, we need can food, we need water, we need water They need water. Rescue brigades need water.
More than one hundred schools,
hospitals, parks, offices, are receiving goods.
Our feelings are falling too.
We get tired.
Of reading the same message,
with different name.
“Help me to find my brother….” and different names.
Which one of them will not make it?
Yesterday there was an earthquake,
but the consequences of it,
will affect us tomorrow,
and the next week,
and the next year,
and couple of years,
when nobody will remember about the earthquake.
We need lamps,
we need AA batteries,
we need gauze,
surgical soap,
cotton,
bandages,
blanquets,
water, water, water.
can food,
cookies.
We need to rest.
But we can’t rest,
if children are also getting tired
of screaming
to be rescued,
if people is hurt,
underneath the buildings
that are still falling.
We need power,
we need friendship,
strength, we need love.
We are devastated.
Yesterday there was an earthquake.
But as 32 years ago,
the same day,
we came back
with all our hands,
we will come back again,
and if we fall 2 times,
we will stand up 3.
Mexico is solidarity
and we are living it now.
We are united,
we will survive,
we will save as many lives as possible,
we are the earthquake generation,
we will survive again,
and together we will say
“Yesterday there was an earthquake”.
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*Originally published on Fredericksburg Literary and Art Review, 2017
**Winner of the 2019 Poetry Fellowship from Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing