Mi Golondrina

The elderly folk, limbs perched on their wheelchairs like limp birds, their frames broken and patched over years, carefully examined every act that went through their make-shift cafeteria stage. My family, along with the bilingual program at the local high school, was putting on a show at a nearby nursing home. The nursing home residents didn't seem interested, or perhaps their frail bodies dragged down their excitement.

My dad and two of my uncles performed some Ramon Ayala songs that evening. A week or so before the performance, they had made instruments out of card board, aluminum foil, and shiny stars. These were their props for the performance. The song "Mi Golondrina" reminds me so much of this evening, of my dad, the serious expression on his face as he played the accordion he had made.

Here is the song. Enjoy.