a conversation with a farmworker

Vennela Avula

in the waiting room,

you sit across from me

your weary eyes take in a new environment

bright lights shine on your sunburnt skin

we speak the language of silent h’s

i ask how you like it here

you reply

demasiado trabajo

y muy poca comida,

viajamos desde lejos

y no hablamos el idioma

this hospital,

they think we don’t comprehend

but it is they who don’t understand

every time,

they tell us to take the prescription

as if it can fix the effects of

a decade of working in the fields

a lifetime of injustice

the doctors say our health is determined

i worry for my daughter

how do i stop

the cycle from continuing

how do i protect her

from the circumstances of our life

-Vennela Avula is a third-year undergraduate student from Raleigh, NC, pursuing a major in Environmental Health in the Gillings School of Global Public Health and a minor in Spanish for the Health Professions.-