Coconuts
Coconuts are brown outside
but very white inside,
they were once used to
frighten children, but fell into disuse
after the 1980s,
you understand, Mrs. Brown.
Probably native to the Pacific
Islands, but nowadays coconuts
are cultivated all over the tropics,
especially on the coasts of Mexico
and in some parts of this city,
where laws have been made
to reclaim the white
within all of us.

Cocos
Los cocos son negros por fuera,
pero por dentro son muy blancos,
en algún tiempo fueron utilizados para
asustar a los niños, pero cayó en desuso
después de los años ochenta
—you undestand, mrs. Brown—.
Probablemente sean nativos de las Islas
del Pacífico, pero hoy en día el coco
es cultivado en todos los trópicos,
especialmente en las costas de México
y en algunos lugares de esta ciudad,
desde donde les ha dado por elaborar
leyes para poder rescatar lo blanco
que todos llevamos dentro.
Other Works
Cherry Wood’s House Husband
by Matt Dube
... He turned to look at her when she stood in the doorway, and she noticed the new blossoms, a ridge of tiny soft petals over his eyebrow ...
Iliamna Lake Monster
by Richard Stevenson
... No way in or out but by float plane / or private boat when the river / is high ...