April 19, 2009
Benjamin Alire Sáenz: “To the Desert”
To the Desert
I came to you one rainless August night.
You taught me how to live without the rain.
You are thirst and thirst is all I know.
You are sand, wind, sun, and burning sky,
The hottest blue. You blow a breeze and brand
Your breath into my mouth. You reach—then bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
You wrap your name tight around my ribs
And keep me warm. I was born for you.
Above, below, by you, by you surrounded.
I wake to you at dawn. Never break your
Knot. Reach, rise, blow, Sálvame, mi dios,
Trágame, mi tierra. Salva, traga, Break me,
I am bread. I will be the water for your thirst.
—Benjamin Alire Sáenz, 1995
I am the Lizard Queen! 
Judith Santillan said,
April 28, 2009 at 3:33 pm
This poem is one of the best poems I have ever read. I can connect to this poem so well; it has my style and my language. This poem has a language that I can understand and compare myself with. Knowing Spanish and English is not so easy; in fact it’s confusing sometimes. Benjamin knows how to combine his culture and make a Latino proud.