I was recently talking to a mother who grew up in the rough part of Boyle Heights. She was talking about starting her family back in the 1990′s.
For some reason, I asked her the difficult question, “I guess you did not want give birth to any boys.”
Her response hit me hard. “No. All boys in the projects grow up to be warriors.”
The body within only resembles her son
The quick smile, the dimple
The laugh, the sparkling eyes
Just a memory
Her tears have dried.
She is overcome by the memories
The young boy leaves behind
Heartbreaking…
Wow…sad.