My Four Nieces/Mis Cuatro Sobrinas
Being an aunt has been one of life’s sweetest gifts. I never knew how four little girls could make such a lasting mark on my life.
I thought it was only afternoon visits, but it became memories I’ll carry forever.
I thought it was only little voices calling my name, but it became one of my favorite sounds in the world.
If I could stop time, I’d keep you little for just a while longer. Tight hugs, endless imaginations and worlds full of magic.
Growing up is part of your story, I will be grateful for every chapter I get to witness.
You are my nieces, but are also one of my biggest blessings. Thank you for letting me be your aunt. No matter how old you become, you will always be my little blessings.
1. Inheritance
When I think about inheritance, I think about more than just family members passing down their last name. It’s the memories, traditions, and values that are shared from generations. In my home, my mom’s recipe for albondigas soup, passed down from my grandma, is filled with memories because it reminds me of the cool winter season and the happy times we shared. Every ingredient in this recipe tells a story about love, patience, and hard work. An object like a white baby dress has become a symbol of family because it was used when I was baptized. As I was growing up, my mom would bring out this dress and tell me, “When you start your own family, I will pass this down”. It reminds me that the most meaningful things we inherit are often traditions and memories rather than expensive possessions.
2. Close Readings
El Cazo (The Copper Pot)
The copper pot symbolizes family traditions and the lessons passed from generation to generation. Cooking beans and tortillas becomes a symbol of love, resilience, and womanhood; it represents more than just a cooking tool.
El Veliz (The Suitcase)
The suitcase is a symbol of where memories, relationships, and the emotional weight people carry throughout life are. Not only holding clothes, but it also carries experiences, loss, and hope. It shows that everyone carries an invisible suitcase that has shaped who they are today.
3. Craft Focus:
Extended Metaphor: Everyday objects, such as a copper pot or a suitcase, carry larger ideas like family, love, memories, and resilience.
Natural Imagery: The natural world is shown through text, where animals, flowers, and rivers speak and create vivid pictures in the reader’s mind.
Generational Voice: Someone or something that has moved between different generations, showing how stories, traditions, and experiences are passed from grandparents to parents and children.
4. Writing Prompt
(La Fotografia /The Photograph)
I used to think the photograph was just a frame on the living room shelf. Its smooth glass with tiny scratches and faded edges reveals its age. But it holds more than a picture; it holds my family’s story. Whenever I see it, I remember holidays, laughter, and evenings spent with my family. Outside, the seasons change. Spring blooms and winter winds blow. Like the seasons, my family has grown older and followed different paths, yet our roots remain connected. I once saw the photograph as decoration. Now I see it as a bridge connecting the past and the present. It reminds me that my greatest inheritance is the love, memories, and stories that continue to shape who I am.
The camera/La cámara
It sits on the shelf,
Its pink body where years of hands have searched for it
When I lift it and look at the screen I see
My mothers laughter,
My first birthday,
My family’s first vacation
Now I get a reminder that memories are not trapped in paper, hidden behind glass, or preserved in a screen,
But instead its what you choose to see and carry forward
The donut cutter/cortador de donas
I thought it was just a steel donut cutter,
but it became one of the only vivid memories
I can remember with my Mama Angie; my grandma.
I was really excited when she was teaching me
how to make donuts, I still remember exactly how they taste.
So warm, so soft, golden-brown colored, made with her love and her precious hands.
She left the cutter to me so when she would come back,
we would make donuts again. We didn’t get to.
But every time I come across it in my kitchen, all
of the happy memories come rushing back like
when a cold rushing wind hits your face in the winter.
Silver Bracelet
My silver bracelet is small and simple, but it means a lot to me. The metal feels cool when I first put it on, and it shines whenever the light touches it. Sometimes it makes a soft clicking sound against a table or another bracelet. Even though it may look like an ordinary piece of jewelry, I always think about my grandma when I wear it.
My grandma gave me the bracelet as a gift, and that moment became a memory I never want to forget. When I look at it, I remember her kindness and the love she has always shown me. It reminds me of spending time with my family and feeling safe around the people I love. The bracelet is like a small piece of my family history that I can carry with me wherever I go.
My Four Nieces/Mis Cuatro Sobrinas
Being an aunt has been one of life’s sweetest gifts. I never knew how four little girls could make such a lasting mark on my life.
I thought it was only afternoon visits, but it became memories I’ll carry forever.
I thought it was only little voices calling my name, but it became one of my favorite sounds in the world.
If I could stop time, I’d keep you little for just a while longer. Tight hugs, endless imaginations and worlds full of magic.
Growing up is part of your story, I will be grateful for every chapter I get to witness.
You are my nieces, but are also one of my biggest blessings. Thank you for letting me be your aunt. No matter how old you become, you will always be my little blessings.
1. Inheritance
When I think about inheritance, I think about more than just family members passing down their last name. It’s the memories, traditions, and values that are shared from generations. In my home, my mom’s recipe for albondigas soup, passed down from my grandma, is filled with memories because it reminds me of the cool winter season and the happy times we shared. Every ingredient in this recipe tells a story about love, patience, and hard work. An object like a white baby dress has become a symbol of family because it was used when I was baptized. As I was growing up, my mom would bring out this dress and tell me, “When you start your own family, I will pass this down”. It reminds me that the most meaningful things we inherit are often traditions and memories rather than expensive possessions.
2. Close Readings
El Cazo (The Copper Pot)
The copper pot symbolizes family traditions and the lessons passed from generation to generation. Cooking beans and tortillas becomes a symbol of love, resilience, and womanhood; it represents more than just a cooking tool.
El Veliz (The Suitcase)
The suitcase is a symbol of where memories, relationships, and the emotional weight people carry throughout life are. Not only holding clothes, but it also carries experiences, loss, and hope. It shows that everyone carries an invisible suitcase that has shaped who they are today.
3. Craft Focus:
Extended Metaphor: Everyday objects, such as a copper pot or a suitcase, carry larger ideas like family, love, memories, and resilience.
Natural Imagery: The natural world is shown through text, where animals, flowers, and rivers speak and create vivid pictures in the reader’s mind.
Generational Voice: Someone or something that has moved between different generations, showing how stories, traditions, and experiences are passed from grandparents to parents and children.
4. Writing Prompt
(La Fotografia /The Photograph)
I used to think the photograph was just a frame on the living room shelf. Its smooth glass with tiny scratches and faded edges reveals its age. But it holds more than a picture; it holds my family’s story. Whenever I see it, I remember holidays, laughter, and evenings spent with my family. Outside, the seasons change. Spring blooms and winter winds blow. Like the seasons, my family has grown older and followed different paths, yet our roots remain connected. I once saw the photograph as decoration. Now I see it as a bridge connecting the past and the present. It reminds me that my greatest inheritance is the love, memories, and stories that continue to shape who I am.
La Taza / The Mug
I thought it was only a mug,
chipped and worn at the edge,
warm in my hands.
But it became a memory
of quiet mornings,
of him sitting by the window,
coffee in silence.
Now the chair is empty.
The house feels still.
Outside, the wind moves through the trees,
soft and steady,
like something trying to stay.
I hold the mug a little longer now.
It’s still warm.
So is the love.
The photo album/ El álbum de fotos
Every year our family is reminded of our beautiful memories through a photo album.
Each page is carved with memories.
Laughter and smiles staring back at my face, frozen in time.
The warm summer air can almost be felt when I look at that page.
Nostalgia is within each page, reminding me of the good times.
Looking back to the past reminds me of how time passes by so fast.
Almost as fast as light passing through the universe.
Time is passing, yet in those pages our younger selves are still alive.
Each memory is alive throughout every page.
Beautifully tainted with the cry of nostalgia.
Nostalgia is what keeps us alive, it makes us seek love, happiness, and joy.
Bittersweet, beautiful, alive, is what I say when I see those memories in my mind.
The camera/La cámara
It sits on the shelf,
Its pink body where years of hands have searched for it
When I lift it and look at the screen I see
My mothers laughter,
My first birthday,
My family’s first vacation
Now I get a reminder that memories are not trapped in paper, hidden behind glass, or preserved in a screen,
But instead its what you choose to see and carry forward
La Cartera / The Wallet
I thought it was only a wallet,
a brown leather wallet
my older brother gave me
when I was in sixth grade.
It traveled with me
through middle school,
high school,
my first job,
and into adulthood.
Now the leather is worn,
the corners are fading,
and time shows on every mark.
When I hold it,
I don’t just see a wallet.
I see the kid I used to be
and the person I’m still becoming.
Soon I’ll replace it,
but not the memories
it carried with me.
The donut cutter/cortador de donas
I thought it was just a steel donut cutter,
but it became one of the only vivid memories
I can remember with my Mama Angie; my grandma.
I was really excited when she was teaching me
how to make donuts, I still remember exactly how they taste.
So warm, so soft, golden-brown colored, made with her love and her precious hands.
She left the cutter to me so when she would come back,
we would make donuts again. We didn’t get to.
But every time I come across it in my kitchen, all
of the happy memories come rushing back like
when a cold rushing wind hits your face in the winter.
Silver Bracelet
My silver bracelet is small and simple, but it means a lot to me. The metal feels cool when I first put it on, and it shines whenever the light touches it. Sometimes it makes a soft clicking sound against a table or another bracelet. Even though it may look like an ordinary piece of jewelry, I always think about my grandma when I wear it.
My grandma gave me the bracelet as a gift, and that moment became a memory I never want to forget. When I look at it, I remember her kindness and the love she has always shown me. It reminds me of spending time with my family and feeling safe around the people I love. The bracelet is like a small piece of my family history that I can carry with me wherever I go.