Twin asks me if I’m ok. And my arms don’t know which one they want to become: a beckoning hug, or falling anvils
~Elizabeth Acevedo, Poet X
Poet X: How a relationship at home matters
In the Poet X by Elizabeth Acevado, Xiomara’s relationship with her twin is important, because he is the only person in her family who she can rely on to support her and be a friend. After watching basketball in their neighborhood, X was teased about her body by some teenage boys, and once Twin, X and X’s friend Caridad were home, Twin offered some comfort. In the poem Okay?, Xiomara recalls, “Twin asks me if I’m ok. And my arms don’t know which one they want to become: a beckoning hug, or falling anvils” (54). The poem shows that even if she does not show it often, X appreciates Twin’s check-ins, and how he shows he cares. She likes having condolence sometimes, and he pays attention to her. While this is an example of Twin helping X, Twin needs help sometimes too. One day, a little while later, Twin came home from school in the afternoon with a black eye, because someone at his school beat him up. X is overprotective, (just like her mom) and when she finds out from her mom, she gets mad at him for not telling her and trying to hide it. In the poem Tight, Xiomara reflects, “I’m so heated with Twin not telling me someone at school was bothering him that I stop speaking” (160). Twin had often relied on X for protecting him, but they go to different schools now. X later said she would beat up the guy who did it, but Twin did not tell her who hurt him. This shows that they support each other, because they care about what happens to each other outside of home, and are willing to stick up for each other and work together. Those two quotes show how Xiomara’s relationship with her twin is important, because he shows kindness towards X and provides support.
Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.
~Jane Howard
Family is the one thing that drives you. Even in times I was alone, lost, and cold, I knew that I needed to be with my family. I know, even through clouds of teenager feeling and annoying little things, I can always rely on my family, even when that’s the only thing going for me, even in the most dire circumstances.
Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.
~Michael J. Fox
The word “family” is a complicated word that means something different to each, and every person. My family has always supported me in my endeavors, always supported me when I was down, and always gave me the tools to be successful in life. It means someone who is there all your life for whatever you need
Who else will tell you the truth besides your family.
~Mom
Only family will tell you how it really is.
It was my family who taught me how to model myself. How to form myself into what I want to become; as well as, telling me the whole truth. When I was going astray, it was my mother who pulled in the ranes and told me the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
“It didn’t matter how big our house was; it mattered that there was love in it.”
Peter Buffet
Family are the only people who will trust you immediately. It was my family who trusted me when no one else did. When nobody else believed me; when nobody else would listen to me, I knew that my family would listen and believe me. I knew they would open their hearts and their ears and listen to my plight.
