Within 電 a field poetics:
sky, rain, lightning over la milpa—
components in the symbol
electricity. A lasso enlazados,
an analemma tracing
the migrant dagongmei
& ensambladoras from rural
farms to city factory,
working circuiting electrons.
To help with my poem,
she gave me her needle-nose pliers,
the ones she used
on the line: a finer pair
of fingers to tune or awl
—they thread image
& song, seam signals, hem
Hertzian waves, handwork
—warp & weft—the Web.
With spool of tin solder
& hot iron over circuit board
how might she resemble
retablistas in market booths
who condense a votary’s
difficult story & infinite thanks