And This House is Only a Nest

"And This House is Only a Nest begins with an abuelo-a grandpa-who is not the gentle sort but one that conjures up fear, anger, work, stubbornness, and resilience. Then a peek at the poet's father, his mother, the mocosos on his street, classmates, locos sparking up joints, misinterpreted Bible passages, soccer as metaphor-realistic scenes rendered like Dutch paintings. One of the best poems references the Los Angeles Dodgers, the late innings, with 'three kids, two strikes... while visiting his