By Jake Terán
Nopal en la frente 1 I grew up speaking English. But, when visiting my grandparents, Mom always told me to say “¿cómo está?” y “¡te quiero!” 2 Playing soccer in elementary school began to make me think friends spoke both English and Spanish. Through sports and camaraderie I was accepted even though I could not speak Spanish. 3 My barrio allowed me to see the dark side of cholo culture but it also taught me the proud side of our gente the language of the pachuco, órale! Wetbacks we were named by the whites and whitewashed alike pochos we were called if we didn’t speak Spanish – “tiene el nopal en la frente,” Chicanos we are. 4 Indoctrination from family, friends, and television confusion ensues from all directions of the wind: “You are Mexican American and have Portuguese blood.” Do we have family in Mexico? Where in Mexico are we from? “No we don’t, they all live here.” 5 I stare at myself in the mirror and see all my features I am indio I am mestizo of course these names are not given by indigenous people nor our ancestors I am Hispanic I am Latino I am slowly eliminating what I am not and they are not these things. 6 I am nōchtli that is vibrant and attached to the nohpalli the prickly pear that is small, bright, and stands out from the green nopal protected from the spines of the nopal, I grow on the outside of the nopal’s paddles although I look different from the nopal I am very much a part of it in every shape and form this, I wholeheartedly embrace. 7 Mí español es mejor, pero it does not dictate my entire identity nor mi orgullo, seguro que es parte de mí. I am the prickly tuna apegado a mis raíces, as a Chicano, I am likewise attached to my indigenous roots.
Jacob “Jake” Teran is a proud Chicano living in the San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles. Jake is a 2nd generation Chicano who was born in Montebello, Los Angeles, east of Los Angeles. He has published his first two short stories in Somos en Escrito: “A Quiet Night on the Boulevard,” and “Niños del Sol.” Jake obtained his M.A. degree in Rhetoric and Composition from Rio Hondo College. He was recently published in an anthology by Querencia Press where his short story “Soy Chicano” and two poems, “Mi Color” and “Bare Tierra” can be found. He is currently teaching composition in several departments in colleges that include indigenous and Chicanx literature. In addition, Jake is an advocate for social justice, self-care, and embracing the identity of others. Jake currently lives in the San Gabriel Valley where he is working on a novel based on his experiences growing up in his barrio that deals with gang lifestyle, drugs, violence, and finding one’s identity in a chaotic concrete jungle that he calls home.