Little Pieces

Published by trampset in May 2023.

Excerpt from Little Pieces:

I rest my head against Mamá’s side, tucking myself under her arm as she knits. Her warm body shifts back and forth as I sway along, content.

“Mamá,” I say. “Why are you making Lalo a sweater? It’s so hot.”

Mamá laughs.

“Mija,” she says, unraveling a stretch of yarn from the skein. “My children are my pedacitos, my little pieces. It’s my job to make sure you’re always warm, and safe, and fed.”

“Oh,” I say, smiling. I like being one of her pedacitos. There are nine of us, and I’m the smallest.

The evening light enters the room in shades of gold. I watch a column of dust float through its amber haze. As the streetlights come on, my brothers Lalo, Junior and Andrés bust through the front door. Noisy and sweaty, they spill across the room. Little pieces everywhere.

Read "Little Pieces" here (link to external trampset website).

Photo credit: Francesco Ungaro