POEM

Almost Evenly Divided

by Emma Suárez-Báez
My life
almost evenly divided
17½ years Puertorican
20½ years New Yorker
5 I’ve lost
a land that felt mine
flamboyanes, canarias
going to the bank con papi
learning to cook like mami
10 las parrandas
the sun that warms up the chickens
el campo en Lajas
mi prima Adira
la vida lenta
15 ser mujer puertorriqueña
ser mujer puertorriqueña
Almost evenly divided
but half lost
Critical Viewing: Character In what ways does the person in the painting seem similar to the speaker of the poem?

Critical Viewing: Character In what ways does the person in the painting seem similar to the speaker of the poem?

Small Echo, 2004, Graham Dean. Watercolor on paper, Private Collection.

In Other Words (all in Spanish)

flamboyanes, canarias trees and canary birds

con papi with daddy

mami mommy

las parrandas the street celebrations

el campo en Lajas the countryside around Lajas in Puerto Rico

mi prima my cousin

la vida lenta the slow life

ser mujer puertorriqueña being a Puerto Rican woman

Before You Move On

  • 1. Compare and Contrast How does Cristina’s experience in “Indian Summer Sun” compare to the experience of the speaker of this poem?

  • 2. Paraphrase In your own words, explain what the speaker in the poem means when she says her life is “almost evenly divided”.