Verónica Huacuja

"Maripaz´s goats"
By Veronica Huacuja
Translated by Dave Galasso

Dear Concha,
Hi, cousin! You don't know me, but my grandmother has told me lots about you. She is my abuela Lupe, and she's also your great-aunt Lupe. She told me that you're part of our Yaqui tribe, but you live in Arizona on the American side. We live on the Mexican side, in the state of Sonora. I'm writing you so we can get to know each other, even if it's just through letters.

My name is Maripaz. The most precious things I have, besides my family, are my goats. I clean them, feed them, take care of them, but then- I have to sell them. I wish I could keep them forever, but here in the north of Mexico, we can't, at least not Yaquis like us. We have to sell them because we need the money to live.

It was my abuela Lupe who taught me about being a goat herder. She has a special gift for animals. Sometimes when we take the animals out to pasture and it's getting too late to bring them back, my grandmother just has to look at them and they come to her right away. We walk back under the cool orange skies; my grandmother leading the herd and me at the back to be sure the smallest kids don't get lost.

My abuela Lupe has always known that I don't have her magic touch with animals. But she also knows how much I love our goats, so she gave me a wonderful present-a flute!

NOTE: What do you think comes next?