Cipota (Button Poetry)

Written in the natural Spanglish of a first-generation estadounidense—born in Utah to parents who emigrated from El Salvador—Guevara’s poetry collection Cipota uses the roots of her family tree to develop a strong stump, broad branches, and luminous leaves. The title comes from Central American slang for a young girl.

Chelsea Guevara writes poems with an easy confidence. Her poetry is powerful in an unassuming way. Guevara’s powerful confidence still allows her to be vulnerable—tilting down the generational masks of machismo while appreciating the rich value of her ancestors.

Guevara investigates the dangers of an identity tied to solving problems independently and the shame associated with asking for help. In “Cumbia de los Salvadoreños,” she writes, “Salvadoreños know how to survive / to never expect a thing of this world / and figure out how to help ourselves.” The shame behind the pride mask asks, “What kind of Salvadoreña would I be if I couldn’t?” and “Who am I on the days that I can’t?”

As a collection, Cipota is a story told in six parts by a colorful, tropical bird singing generational songs from her perch on the family tree.

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