Eventually the loose manuscript of poems would find their way to a collection, Loose Woman, inspired by Jaime Sabines’s Poemas sueltos. By then I had learned poetry had to be written as if I could not publish it in my lifetime. It was the only way for me to get past the worst censor. Myself.

Several individuals have poked under the bed with brooms and forced my words to light. They are Ted Dvoracek, Carlos Cumpián, Raul Niño, Paul Alexander, Jeffrey Abrahams, Julie Grau, Robin Desser, Sonia Saldívar-Hull, Dagoberto Gilb, Joy Harjo, Brad Morrow, Samantha Chang, Tey Diana Rebolledo, Geneva Gano, Sergio Troncoso, José Antonio Rodríguez, Rachel Morgan, Quincy Troupe, Martín Espada, Anne Halley, Paul Jenkins, Norma Alarcón, Gary Soto, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Luis J. Rodríguez, Diana Marie Delgado, Tyler Meier, Rita Dove, and especially, this book’s editor, John Freeman who, like Mrs. Something, transmogrified me. For lack of a better word, John, I will call this light you give me grace.

I thank the entire team at Alfred A. Knopf / Vintage / Vintage Español / Penguin Random House, who birthed this book into spectacular being: John Freeman, of course, Reagan Arthur, Jordan Pavlin, LuAnn Walther, Deborah Garrison, Sarah Perrin, Kevin Bourke, Gabrielle Brooks, Todd Doughty, Pei Loi Koay, Emily Mahon, Marisa Melendez, Matthew Sciarappa, Demetris Papadimitropoulos, Alexandra Torrealba, Silvia Matute, Rita Jaramillo, Monica Delgado, Indira Pupo, Maylin Lehmann, Iris McElroy, Denise Lee, and Leah Jackson. I thank as well the unnamed word-workers, who print, pack, ship, and send these words out and out into the world. A special shout-out to the booksellers, librarians, and readers. May patron saint San Juan de Dios bless and protect you all.

Since forever, my highest aspiration has been to receive blurbs from the writers I most admire. Appreciation to my colleagues Dorothy Allison, Jan Beatty, Marilyn Chin, Martín Espada, Rigoberto González, Joy Harjo, Luis J. Rodríguez, Lois-Ann Yamanaka, and Javier Zamora.

Gracias a la reina Flor Garduño por el uso de su foto perfecta La nopala para la portada. Gracias a las magas Michèle Desfrenne y Astrid Hadad por ser mis duendes. A mi madrina de letras Elena Poniatowska, eterna gratitud. Un tambache de amor a todas.

Gratitude to Macondo, especially to the board, for devout work of service and inspiration.

Gratitude to poet John Olivares Espinoza, my poetry coach for over a decade. You are as humble as a Buddhist master and as wise. Thank you for your tender care.

Gratitude to Julia Alvarez, whose poetry inspires me to write poetry, and to Denise Chávez and Sherman Alexie, whose performances inspire my performances.

Gratitude to Ellen Riojas Clark, John Phillip Santos, Ito Romo, Garrett Mormando, José Rubén De León, Roland Mazuca, Bill Sánchez, and Reggie Scott Young; muy queridos todos.