““La Rosa Mordida”La Rosa Mordida”By Rosa Maria Arenas

Illustrated ByIllustrated ByAngela Garcia

When Maria When Maria Arenas was Arenas was

getting ready to getting ready to leave she came leave she came into our dreams into our dreams

to tell us.to tell us.

When Maria When Maria Arenas was Arenas was

getting ready to getting ready to leave she saw the leave she saw the look on our faces look on our faces and considered and considered how not to hurt how not to hurt

us. But since that us. But since that was impossible was impossible

she came into our she came into our dreams to tell us.dreams to tell us.

““Be careful,” she Be careful,” she told her friend told her friend Socorro. “I’m Socorro. “I’m

going away and I going away and I won’t see you for won’t see you for a long time but a long time but

look what I look what I brought…”brought…”

A rose, a perfect A rose, a perfect rose “Y mira que rose “Y mira que es bonita. Es es bonita. Es verdad que es verdad que es bonita.”bonita.”

And Maria Arenas And Maria Arenas bit off the head of bit off the head of the perfect rose, the perfect rose, her tongue her tongue tasting the bitter tasting the bitter perfume, her perfume, her hand twisting the hand twisting the thorny stem.thorny stem.

La rosa mordida.La rosa mordida.

““That is how I That is how I feel,” she said. feel,” she said. “Asi, como la “Asi, como la rosa. Ten cuidado rosa. Ten cuidado hijita. Ya me voyhijita. Ya me voy

This poem is about a This poem is about a young mother that young mother that abandons her children abandons her children seems to come into their seems to come into their dreams to tell them how dreams to tell them how she is feeling. She wants she is feeling. She wants to tells her children that to tells her children that she misses them a lot but she misses them a lot but there is no way to tell there is no way to tell them. But the children them. But the children seem to hear her in their seem to hear her in their dreams.dreams.

The theme of this poem is that no The theme of this poem is that no

woman wants to leave her children, woman wants to leave her children,

and those that do are haunted and those that do are haunted

forever. I think the author uses this forever. I think the author uses this

rose to express the woman’s rose to express the woman’s

depression.depression.

The imagery in this poem is,“her The imagery in this poem is,“her

tongue tasting bitter perfume.” The tongue tasting bitter perfume.” The

effect it has on me is that I can effect it has on me is that I can

taste the bitterness of the rose as taste the bitterness of the rose as

she bites into the head of the rose. she bites into the head of the rose.

She seems to have felt this way.She seems to have felt this way.

The metaphor of the poem is when The metaphor of the poem is when

the author says, “She came into our the author says, “She came into our

dreams to tells us.” The woman dreams to tells us.” The woman

cannot really come into their cannot really come into their

dreams so this is a metaphor, but dreams so this is a metaphor, but

how I see it is the children could how I see it is the children could

hear her speak to them while they hear her speak to them while they

were asleep. were asleep.

The author’s tone is sad and The author’s tone is sad and

depressing. For example when she depressing. For example when she

says; “She feels like the dead bitten says; “She feels like the dead bitten

rose,” meaning that she feels sad and rose,” meaning that she feels sad and

depressed for leaving her children depressed for leaving her children

behind. It feels sad, the way she behind. It feels sad, the way she

expresses the poem, especially that expresses the poem, especially that

this poem was dedicated to her this poem was dedicated to her

mother.mother.

I really didn’t understand the I really didn’t understand the

meaning of this poem but in what meaning of this poem but in what

I did understand is that it’s about I did understand is that it’s about

a young woman that left her a young woman that left her

children and clearly was not children and clearly was not

happy. I didn’t like this poem happy. I didn’t like this poem

because it was really depressing because it was really depressing

to me. to me.