Stalina Emmanuelle Villarreal
Tejida, Tejido, Tejide
all genders woven. The -e
in Tejide includes nonbinary
folks, while Tejida refers
to a mujer, whereas Tejido means
un hombre. Together they are
woven without gendered
assumptions as to who
weaves repeatedly
with Tyvek, for sealing homes,
intricate pieces entre dos
duct-taped palos, at diagonals,
with the base held down
by loose concrete, Tyvek ends
nailed to wood, with the middle
net woven: yellow, red,
and multicolored plastic, wire, copper.
Behind, "CAUTION" tape also
woven, red and white strips
woven tight. In the meshes,
tagua nuts or vegetable ivory
from a homeland, a rite
of manual labor, the migrant
Latinx experience, laborious
cuts, the striping of business,
repetitious weaving. Materials
found in parking lots, Tyvek
and nuts. Collected cariño,
embraced genders. Luscious
textures, meditated y amades.