Iveliz Explains It All

Note: These pages contain the poems “Mami, Though?” “Maria,” “It Honestly Wasn’t That Scary,” “ISBI (cont.),” “Seventh-Grade Goals: An Official List,” “She Got the Call,” “Speak Up, Not Out,” “Video Chats,” and “First Name Unknown.”

Iveliz presents Mami as a disciplinarian and not as fun as Dad. When the school calls Mami and tells her that Iveliz pushed Jessica, Mami grounds Iveliz and takes away her phone, yet Iveliz can still use her Chromebook to interact with Amir. They video chat, and Amir organizes her books while Iveliz folds her laundry. She sees Amir’s little brother in the background, and Amir and Iveliz pick out songs to hum to. Sometimes, Amir and Iveliz don’t talk: They just want company.

When Amir came to the United States from Afghanistan, officials erroneously recorded his last name as Fnu—First Name Unknown. Teachers call him Mr. Fnu, though they know his real last name is Nishat. Amir doesn’t take it seriously, but it bothers Iveliz, who dislikes it when people mispronounce her name.

Iveliz remembers Hurricane Maria, a Category Five hurricane that killed approximately 3,000 people. Iveliz’s aunts didn’t have electricity for five months, and Iveliz’s father sent a generator so Mimi could have air conditioning. Mami insisted they visit her family, and Iveliz packed copious granola bars, upsetting Mami. In Puerto Rico, Iveliz noticed the blue tarp coverings distributed by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to prevent further damage to property. She also saw people waiting for hours to get gasoline and water.

Back in the present, Iveliz lists goals for seventh grade: Obey Mami, help Mimi, socialize more, and no more ISBI. The point of ISBI is to punish kids without suspending them, so the school confines Iveliz to a room, and a teacher sends a “good kid” to bring them a worksheet. However, the teacher often forgets to dispatch the “good kid,” so Iveliz mostly doesn’t do anything in ISBI.

Note: These pages contain the poems “Dad Thinks He’s Funny, Part II,” “Mimi ls Here!” “Fun Things I Want to Do with Mimi,” “Tania,” “Mimi’s Room,” “Meti la pata,” “Samosas,” and “Irfan Is Not Who I Wanted to Hear About, Journal.”

Iveliz shows her father the poems in her journal, and her father dismisses them as the product of a “Gen Z” person. He points out the lack of rhyme and describes the poems as “random thoughts.” Iveliz doesn’t care if her poems have rhymes or quatrains (four-line stanzas). Like contemporary poets Sarah Kay and Safia Elhillo, Iveliz doesn’t believe poems must follow rules. Iveliz’s father counters her response with a poem about how much he loves her.

Mimi arrives, and Iveliz wants to cook, cuddle, garden, and talk with her, but Mimi is “kinda off.” Mimi had a big house and a large yard in Puerto Rico. Now, she’s in a tiny apartment. After dinner, she calls Iveliz “Tania,” which is Mami’s name. Iveliz’s father stares at Iveliz, so Iveliz shrugs it off as a mistake.

Iveliz compares herself to popcorn: She’s either “unpopped” or burnt—never exactly right. Amir, however, is always “chill,” so she tells him about the Tania mix-up, and he tells her about his grandfather, Irfan, who had dementia. When Amir’s family left Afghanistan for Turkey, the Turkish soldiers became violently frustrated with Ifran’s condition, so Ifran went back to Afghanistan, where he died. Iveliz’s listen to Amir, but she’d rather discuss Mimi.

Note: These pages contain the poems “Hands at Work,” “Gandules,” “Dinner Is Weird Tonight,” “Current Seventh-Grade Goals,” “Nuh-uh, ni se te ocurra,” and “Dr. Turnip: An Explanation.”

Iveliz takes gardening for one of her “exploratory,” nontraditional, classes, and she loves it. It reminds her of gardening with Mimi. Iveliz mentions starting a garden on their balcony, and Mimi wants to grow gandules, or pigeon peas. Without consulting Iveliz, Mami orders seeds online, and Iveliz worries that they won’t grow. Iveliz updates her seventh-grade goals to include growing gandules.

Iveliz has Spanish rice with tofu and hot sauce, and, forgetting Iveliz is a vegetarian, Mimi asks her why she doesn’t eat meat. Iveliz changes the topic and talks to Mimi about the garden, but Mimi forgets about the garden, so Iveliz reminds her. Iveliz is used to explaining: She regularly reminds people how to say her name.

Justin G. trips Iveliz, and the blonde-haired Jessica laughs at her. Anticipating a fight, students pull out their phones, but Iveliz hears her mom’s voice “ni se te ocurra”—"don’t even think about it” (39)—so Iveliz doesn’t hit anyone, but she ends up in the counselor’s office. The counselor mispronounces Iveliz’s name and asks her why she’s “reverting.”

Dr. Alex is Iveliz’s psychiatrist, but his head reminds Iveliz of a turnip, so Iveliz changes his name to Dr. Turnip. Iveliz hates speaking to Dr. Turnip, but Mami makes Iveliz speak to him when Iveliz’s behavior dismays Mami.

Note: These pages contain the poems “Everyone Is Against Me, I Swear,” “Estas bien?” “Mimi ls Working on a Puzzle,” “Statuesque,” “I Can Hear Them,” “Amir Nishat, an Acrostic,” “Dos y dos son cuatro,” and “My Ex-Friend Amir, Unforgiven.”

Iveliz feels like the world—from Justin and Jessica to Mami and Dr. Turnip—is her enemy. She experiences extreme isolation. She calls herself “Daddy’s daughter / with no Daddy in sight” (43). At dinner, Mami asks Iveliz if she’s fine, which means: Do they need to go to the Child and Psychology wing of Hopkins Hospital?

After dinner, Mimi works on a rainforest puzzle, which makes Iveliz think of the animals in Puerto Rico. It also prompts her memory of sunburned tourists. Mimi wants to find Iveliz’s father, which makes Iveliz feel like stone. Mami sees Iveliz in the kitchen and hugs her. Iveliz hears Mami reminding Mimi about Iveliz’s therapy and triggers.

Iveliz tries to contact Amir, but he’s not around. Iveliz is upset that Amir is unavailable, but Iveliz’s father reminds her that no one should expect a friend to be constantly at their service.