A poem from Argentine’s 200 years of Independence celebration

Mum,
you cooked a beef stew
and didn’t come down to eat it
you said you had a fever
on Independence Day
so I went to Plaza de Mayo
to listen to techno music.

with some friends
the poets
we drank beer from warm cans
we saw dogs wearing Boca Juniors outfits,
violet lights all around
and we asked ourselves
is this all fantasy?

Mum,
you should have seen me
I was happy
my hands were frozen
a boy gave me
a kiss
around a big scarf
everyone at the plaza
was feeling safe
and bought churros
from street baskets.