Only Spanish Spoken Here - June 20, 2025

early summer Sunday, Demuth Park

and the soccer ball pinballs

around the field, kids yell but

sideline parents yell louder till a

whistled break when they open

arms to dry tears, hold tiny shoulders

and whisper encouragement, that

much-repeated American tradition,

only spoken in a foreign language

I don’t need to understand

because every parent wants

to watch their kid grow strong

and build happiness

especially when the team

is them alone with the ball

and the goal keeps slipping

farther and farther away