La Ofrenda Lesbiana: Elementos de mi Corazón.

The following contribution celebrates, honors, and reflects on the bodies of work that create spaces of cariño in Carla Trujillo's 1991 anthology, Chicana Lesbians: The Girls Our Mothers Warned Us About. This piece is two-fold:it begins with an open letter, or analytic response to the ways authors in the anthology such as Terri de la Peña, E.D.Hernandez and Cherríe Moraga have charted and inspired forbidden archives of Chicana lesbian knowledge(s) and cariño molded by their poesía, letra y arte. In this letter, I embed elements of earth tierra, aire, fuego, y agua that make up the foundation of the accompanying art piece. While these pieces exist in separate physical form, their spirits are directly in conversation, una con la otra. I invite readers to indulge in this writing and complimentary artwork alongside the nearest element of earth accessible to you as a reminder that as long as earth is present our capacity to love is eternal.