Bolivia Plays in the World Cup
I become myself that summer.
The summer of drinking api,
baking dulce de leche cakes with my sister
and playing football with my brother.
It is June and anything is possible.
My mamita makes us api and buñuelos
as Gilda plaits empanadas.
I ask my mum for my chapaca skirt,
wrap the Bolivian flag around my shoulders,
and wait for the match to begin.
Bolivia Leaves the World Cup
And because Mami cannot stop herself,
she joins us in our screams as we watch
Marco Etcheverry kick us out of the World Cup.
She shouts so much she nearly loses her voice.
Mamita burns the sopaipillas, Gilda spills wine
down her jeans and I swallow the knot of my feelings
as we watch in disbelief. Even my dad is swearing at our TV.
Katherine Lockton‘s poetry has been published in a number of journals such as Magma, The Dark Horse, Rising, Brittle Star, Northwords Now and The Delinquent. She can be found online at http://katherinelockton.wordpress.com/. She currently co-edits South Bank Poetry.