JACALAND GALLERY
NEW WORK TO BE ADDED FOR CARLOS
“My First Earthquake” Poem by Carlos Garcia
My father was not an affectionate man.
Not when I was young, nor when I was a teen.
He just wasn’t.
One morning in ’66
I rose early from a small twin bed to get ready for school
My dad sleeping across from me
My parents and I shared a small bedroom in a small house
My mother making breakfast in the kitchen
As I reached the closet
The ground shook violently under my feet
But my head did not touch the floor
my dad had lunged out of his bed
and landed on his side in time to cushion my fall
For a few seconds he cradled me in his arms
My first earthquake in California
My first and only embrace from my distant father.
~Carlos
