Beware La Llorona

She was so beautiful, oh, so beautiful.

People said that for miles around.

Her radiant face: the pride of the pueblo;

Her melodious voice: the most pleasant sound.

 

Blessed with a husband and two lovely sons,

She never imagined her joy would end,

Until the day she found her marido

Making passionate love with her friend.

 

Jealousy hungers for vengeance, and vengeance

Opens its arms to grief and despair.

The wife was driven mad by her anger--

The pain being more than the woman could bear. 

 

Taking her beautiful boys to the river

That gently serpentined down to the coast,

She drowned them both to hurt her husband.

Their death would make him suffer the most.

 

“What have I done?” she cried when she came

To her senses. “Padre, condemn me to hell!”

She waded farther out in the water,

And then she drowned herself as well.

 

Unable to rest, her spirit haunts

The towns, the valleys, the hills, and the plains.

Remorse and guilt can eat at the soul;

A hollow heart is all that remains.

 

They call her La Llorona; her cries

Can make a person die of fright.

Though seeking her children, she’ll settle for any

And snatch them away in the dark of the night.

 

Beware, beware, beware La Llorona.

Pity her plight, but fear her intent.

Beware the consequences of anger

And vengeance that leave us with much to lament.

 

-by Bob B (6-3-21)

Reviews

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

My abuela told me this story years ago in the early 70s. To try to keep me and my brothers in line and make us behave. Sometimes while she was listening to her little am/fm transistor radio she would scare us by interpreting Spanish news broadcasts telling us bizarre strange tales. She did this because she knew we were not fluent in Spanish because our mother wanted us Americanized. I look back now and laugh at how many times she may have fooled us by feeding us false news. But this subject of your poem holds a special place in my heart. Thank you for sharing your work.

[Bob B]

We were told that the boogeyman would get us. I have no idea how that got started though.

[Chris Shaw]

A tale well narrated and enjoyed. To hate that much that you would kill your own children to seek vengeance on your husband and his infidelitues is quite something. Now to listen to your choice of music.

Chris

[Coyote Poetry]

(La Llorona - Carmen Goett. On YouTube.)
The song above. Perfect song for the La Llorona. Hello my friend. I loved and I enjoyed the poetry.
Coyote

[Bob B]

Ah, thanks for tip. I like Carmen Goett’s version. Very haunting. I have the version by Aida Cuevas. Check it out on You Tube.