Episode
“Hija de tu madre.” by Elisha Fernandez | Handpicked Wednesday | One Poem Only
- Podcast
- One Poem Only
- Published
- May 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 226
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Summary
Wednesdays on One Poem Only are Handpicked, a new feature where I go deeper into the poem of the day and discuss what made it stand out to me. “Hija de tu madre.” Elisha Fernandez “Eres hija de tu madre.” “You are your mother’s daughter,” is a phrase I heard growing up, from strangers, family members, friends, most repeated by my own mother. I wanted to claw myself out of my skin Panicked by the implication That I did not belong to myself I could not crawl above my station Limited to the constraints and expectations people thrust on me, Like a hermit crab forced to stay in a shell too-small, No room to grow or become my own person Keeping me trapped against the wall, a doll stuck between pavement, yearning to bloom My achievements, struggles, and experiences No longer my doing, the credit stripped away Loneliness taking over as I stay, rewatching the events of the past twenty-some years Through the lens of someone else’s existence It was so unbearable I eventually avoided the topic altogether It felt easier to snip the thread we twined, connecting us, so that I could cement my own self, my own role In your mind, in mine The separation frayed us both, But I learned that it was healthier for us to co-exist Side by side, free from the harm we imposed on each other Than to be attached at the hip And that time apart Gave me the space to see you, truly, To take you down from the pedestal, To get to know you fully I think I’ve accepted that I am my mother’s daughter, In the sense that it’s true, I inherited her stubbornness and pride, Her love for words and witty sayings, Her craving to be important, the hunger to be accepted, I inherited her precision and wide-eyed curiosity Beyond the superficial, it’s hard to admit that while she birthed me and learned me, she also weaved…