Mexican Heaven

Looking for directions?
Mexican Heaven is around the corner
Arab Heaven is down the street
It has a funny name
White Heaven is in a gated community
Black Heaven is downtown
Asian Heaven is uptown
I don't know the address, but
You have to try the dumplings
You thought they were all in the same place?
Don’t dream of another Heaven
Don’t dream of another way
Don’t dream, just start walking
Está a la vuelta de la esquina
Doesn't it make sense to have one location?
The same heaven that pronounces tortilla with an L
Where fruit is served without Tajín
Where the salasa is mild (and from a jar)
The same Heaven that accidentally calls you José
When your name is Jesús
Jesús from Chihuahua
Like it’s not clearly written on your nametag?
In Mexican Heaven
Ain't gotta get all dressed up and be Hollywood
Just jeans and a cowboy hat
Bidi Bidi Bom Bom
All the way to the all-inclusive buffet
Where no one asks you to make them a spicy margarita

Amy Pugsley is an Assyrian-Canadian writer, poet, and educator. Her poetry has been featured in a range of literary journals, including Rigorous Magazine, The Write Launch, Cheat River Review, io Literary Journal, BarBar, Genre Urban Arts, Rowayat Literary Journal, Pamplemousse Magazine, Quarter Press, and Moonstone Arts Center. Her freelance writing has been published in magazines across the Middle East, the United States, Europe, and Asia.