Norteños (Pantoum)
children wait in rivers
holding watery hands
paper outcut scissors
breaking rock with sand
holding watery hands
hands washing river
breaking rock with sand
swirling Eddy shiver
hands washing river
nopal paddle rowing
swirling Eddy shiver
counting roe like praying
nopal paddle rowing
paper outcut scissors
counting roe like praying
children wait in rivers
Karen Vargas
Karen Vargas is a native of northern New Mexico. Her poetry and short stories have been published in Borderlore, Epoch, Catamaran, Drinking from the Stream, La Palabra: The Word Is A Woman series, and others. She is the recipient of a Taos Resident Writers Award and a Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation Residency.