Maria's Ranch

{Editor's Note: Maria's ranch is captured here in three ways: 1) Z Nalywayko's drawing (above); 2) Maria's description of the ranch (below); and 3) a photograph of the ranch (bottom of page)].

I can almost smell the freshly cut grass and the clean air. My home in Mexico, so familiar and ingrained in my memory, I feel myself there just looking at this drawing. I see my brother’s bedroom window, which my parents have now made into their study, and remember the thousands of hours spent in the front yard playing games with my cousins.

This sanctuary, that many know as “El Rancho Los Lobos,” is now my parents’ permanent home. They moved there after I graduated from college, a promise my dad made to my mother many years ago. I feel comfort knowing they are safe in paradise and away from the hell the rest of the world is currently experiencing.

Someday, this will be my paradise. I will return to re-establish my roots in Mexico and continue the legacy that my parents are building now. I look forward to the many years I will have in this place, the many more memories I will make, and the countless mornings filled with the smell of freshly cut grass.

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Z NALYWAYKO

Contributor

M DANI LYNN

Contributor