Emplumada

“Emplumada” by Lorna Dee Cervantes appears in the collection of the same name, published in 1981 by the University of Pittsburgh Press. The poem consists of 18 lines in three stanzas of unrhymed free verse. As part of Cervantes’ first collection, “Emplumada” introduces some of the major concerns of the poet, including struggles of class, culture, and historical marginalization. In the beginning of the poem, the speaker draws the reader’s attention to the flowers that, beautiful in their season, die at summer’s end. The speaker goes on to notice stone fruit climbing above a fence line, and beyond, two hummingbirds joined mid-air. The birds are united in their struggle to both survive and “to find what is good” (Line 13). As feathered creatures, they can take solace in flight and are free to leave—to propel themselves into a different situation as the wind and their strength allows. The word “emplumada” translates to “feathered,” as well as “pen flourish,” the latter underscoring the liberating power of poetry.

Poet Biography

Lorna Dee Cervantes was born in San Francisco in 1954 to parents of Mexican and Native American (Chumash) ancestry. In an effort to protect their children from racism, Cervantes’ parents allowed only English to be spoken in the home.