The Huipil Is Our Whole Life
Teresa Gomez Ramos
It's not beautiful, it's wonderful
It's not expensive, it's valuable
It's not an item of clothing, it's a piece of our cosmogony
It's not a product, it's an expression of life
It doesn't lose its value with time
Time transforms it into an intangible possession
You don't recycle it, you conserve it
If I sell it, it's not because I don't need it anymore
It's because I need to feed my children
It's because I have no corn in the house
I know I will never have another one like it
But my children will be grateful
I didn't sell it, they gave me a few quetzals for it
If I had sold it, I would have put a good price on it
I exchanged it for medicine for my little girl
I once had a huipil that I loved so much, but I sold it
I needed to pay for my daughter's studies
I haven't bought a new huipil
They're expensive
I don't even have money to buy the thread
But I'm happy to see that my child is healthy
I'm wearing a simple blouse, it's OK, I am dressed
Oh, mother dear, our huipil is our whole life
It carries our sorrows and our joys
Our memories and our dreams...
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