Laurie Ann Guerrero’s Ode to El Cabrito can be perceived many different ways, but any way the reader may look at this poem it is captivating through its incredible word play and powerful imagery. When reading Ode to El Cabrito it is obvious that if the reader was to perceive it latently then it would basically mean that Guerrero was making a fresh batch of cabrito which in Mexican heritage is a roasted kid goat. Therefore, when Guerrero says “I tear away your muscle, bubbling fat, and warm tortillas over coal, in the onion and cilantro” ( Guerrero 12-14). Guerrero’s lays a foundation in this poem that can take the reader down many different roads while trying to perceive the true meaning of this poem, although there may not be a true meaning. Guerrero may have had inspirations to write this poem but it is possible that she wrote Ode to El Cabrito to basically leave it open for interpretation. This poem can be seen as truly dark and mysterious with a truly sinister meaning. Death, sacrifice, and possibly murder can be taken out of this poem, but what does it truly mean? The lines can be perceived in literal terms which would be nothing but someone consuming a freshly prepared batch of cabrito that was just removed from the fire. The beautiful imagery that is portrayed in this poem make the reader feel as if they are eating and ultimately enjoying this feast of a young goat. This is one of the main reasons that it is easy to perceive this poem latently, but there is in fact much deeper meaning in this beautiful poem. When reading Guerrero’s Ode to El Cabrito it can be portrayed in many more ways than one. When Guerrero writes words like “ Slaughter” and “ Last Breath” death is obviously the first thing that comes to mind. The food in this poem being cabrito means a cooked child goat. When Guerrero writes “ In your belly, I live like warm milk, goat-thick and cloud heavy lick you from the inside until the slaughter when your mother cries like my mother” (). Abortion is one of the main things that can be perceived from this poem because of the usage of words like “life” and “mother” usually when words of this context are paired and linked with a story
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In the poem when Guerrero writes “When fire sends its last breath to the stars” (Guerrero 10-11). The line could be in religious terms an ascent into heaven which inevitably means death. Because contrary to some beliefs abortion is murder, therefore, a death has occurred from the child. The child that was pulled from the womb was a living breathing creature and it was pulled from the life source that was his mother.
Ode to El Cabrito could also be about a mother that went through a pregnancy then had a miscarriage which basically means that the mother involuntarily loses her child whilst the child is growing inside her. A miscarriage could happen from many complications from the pregnancy. A miscarriage could result from poor health of the mother, or it could just happen out of nowhere, but there is usually an explanation to why the child died. Many of the words in this poem can lead you to believe that death plays a part in the
In the poem when Guerrero writes “When fire sends its last breath to the stars” (Guerrero 10-11). The line could be in religious terms an ascent into heaven which inevitably means death. Because contrary to some beliefs abortion is murder, therefore, a death has occurred from the child. The child that was pulled from the womb was a living breathing creature and it was pulled from the life source that was his mother.
Ode to El Cabrito could also be about a mother that went through a pregnancy then had a miscarriage which basically means that the mother involuntarily loses her child whilst the child is growing inside her. A miscarriage could happen from many complications from the pregnancy. A miscarriage could result from poor health of the mother, or it could just happen out of nowhere, but there is usually an explanation to why the child died. Many of the words in this poem can lead you to believe that death plays a part in the