C.R.E.A.M.
I met the end of the world
early on. The pang of hunger still
echoes in my stomach some days.
The strained faces of my parents
imprinted so clearly in my mind serve
as a permanent reminder
of the realities of this world.
Always take, never give.
Always be selfish, never generous.
Isn't that what everyone does?
All for one, all for none.
We used to fight over food
at the dinner table.
The earliest memories of fear came from
my parents crying over whether or not
we would have enough to cover the next
month's rent.
The gnarled fingers of greed are
always at my throat.
Always at the forefront of my mind.
Always finding their way into
the spaces I inhabit.
It was never my intention to
be aggressive. If I had
the comfort of money, I would repent
for all the sins I felt were
necessary evils.
I pray a silent prayer
everytime greed seeps into
my soul and I am reminded
of the reality of this world.
EXPLOITOCENE by Tania Trejo-Mendez
"The term that I felt best encapsulated the ongoing destruction of our world definitely had to be related to the economic exploitation that I feel is the catalyst for misery across the globe - exploitocene. With this poem, I decided to title it “C.R.E.A.M” in reference to the phrase “cash rules everything around me”, something I always associated with rap music which was a huge part of my childhood and of my dad’s attempts to Americanize himself. I wanted the titles to symbolize the obvious importance of money in my life as a low-income woman but also the root of my anxieties which come from my father’s obsession with saving money. I felt like this title also speaks to the most important theme - greed - and the way it affects the way we interact with others and view the world. In terms of form of this poem, I really wanted it to be like a narrative similar to me telling a story of my childhood, which is again, where I feel my own preoccupation with money comes from. . . . I wanted it to be a raw and honest story about the anxieties that I still live with to this day. . . . I wanted it to resemble a series of flashbacks and contrasting intrusive thoughts, sort of reminiscent of the way I live my life - my mind always being plagued by questions regarding my character and whether or not I am doing something that would anger God. . . . I wanted to make the “issue” within the poem the greed that has stolen happiness and money from my family and also ruined any normal relationship I would have with money in the future.. I would like to imagine that the poem is sort of similar to my train of thoughts while at confession at church, bouncing between memories of pain and sin, and of justifications for such. The exploitative practices of capitalism within America have made it impossible for me and countless other families to have a healthy relationship or view of money, and has driven us to resort to crimes or other sins to try and survive."