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By Francisco X. Alarcón

words
are birds
that arrive
with books
and spring


they
love
clouds
the wind
and trees


some words
are messengers
that come
from far away
from distant lands


for them
there are
no borders
only stars
moon and sun


some words
are familiar
like canaries
others are exotic
like the quetzal bird


some can stand
the cold
others migrate
with the sun
to the south


some words
die
caged—
they’re difficult
to translate


and others
build nests
have chicks
warm them
feed them


teach them
how to fly
and one day
they go away
in flocks


the letters
on this page
are the prints
they leave
by the sea


Francisco X. Alarcon, "Words are Birds" from Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems. Copyright © 1997 by Francisco X. Alarcon.  Reprinted by permission of Lee & Low Books.

Source: Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems (Lee & Low Books, 1997)

Poet Bio

Francisco X. Alarcón
A prolific writer for adults and children, Francisco X. Alarcón was born in California and grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico. Alarcón returned to the United States to attend California State University at Long Beach, and he earned his MA from Stanford University. Latino and gay identity, mythology, the Nahuatl language, Mesoamerican history, and American culture are all portrayed in Alarcón’s writing. He served as director of the Spanish for Native Speakers Program at the University of California at Davis, and taught for the Art of the Wild workshop and the California Poets in the Schools program.  See More By This Poet

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