when I was in Japan,
I reached in my bag for yen,
I drew a coin with the Zia on it
given to me by jen
as I stared at the cold breezy mountains of Japan holding this, I was reminded of
The deep Roots of cracked hot concrete I would work out on
The smell of albondigas Nana would be making
The bright yellow and blue tile mismatched on the lining of the kitchen
The simpleness of living in a "this'll work" architecture
the tumbleweeds, the dry cacti landscape, vast dirt reaching to the dark amber mountains, painted with fading perfect blend from the sunset, homemade meals, la raza, tias and tios, the stray cats and dogs (and family pet names)
My Arizona desert was so hot that everything did its best to share being in the Cool casted shadows.
yet here I was in the complete opposite wishing for that sun
holding this coin brought be back to when you thought I would Judge where you were from
but your "Land of Enchantment" will always remind me of being one step closer to home...
Arizona > New Mexico > Japan
nostalgia through the lens of another home has never been so touching.
Zia symbol meaning:
North: the 4 directions
West: the 4 seasons
South: the 4 mountains of life: infancy, adolescence, adulthood, elderhood.
East: the 4 aspects of self: Heart, Mind, Body, Spirit.
