Tex Mex Food 101

Alan Berecka

July 23, 2023

Mexican bakeries

in South Texas

sell it by the slice

I could eat it

by the ton—

white pound cake

iced in thick

pink frosting

that hints

of a tang

of citrus.

The perfect

mix of tastes

that even

this gringo

can order

in the local

Spanish dialect,

as I point

and ask for

“Pink Cake!”

and think

to myself

Gracias a Dios.

Alan Berecka is the author of five books of poetry, the latest A Living is Not a Life: A Working Title (2021, Black Spruce Press) was a finalist in the Hoffer Awards. His poetry has appeared in such journals and websites as The Christian Century, The Concho River Review, The Texas Review, The Texas Poetry Assignment, and The Main Street Rag.  He recently participated in the Lithuanian Writers Union’s international spring poetry festival which took place in May 2022. This was the second time Berecka has been invited to read at festivals in the birthplace of two grandparents. He earned his living for many years as a librarian at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. In January 2023, he finally lived long enough so he retired. He and his wife Alice reside in Sinton, Texas where they raised their now two adult children.