Art Commission
Poem by Samuel Silva
Every four years,
since I’ve had a memory,
my heart gets filled
with pride and hope.
I stand in front of a TV
and allow myself to believe.
This time we’ll get further,
this time we’ll raise the cup.
Every four years,
I also get hit with reality.
Eliminated again,
cursed to stay in the same spot.
They make progress,
but they remain stuck.
Yet I hold my hope.
Every four years,
I remember that football,
not soccer, football,
is ingrained in me.
I keep time with it,
I track who I am.
Every four years,
I find myself
in the same spot again.
I’m not who I want to be.
Not yet at least.
I make progress,
but I stay stuck.
Every four years,
I hold on hope despite it all.
despite their mistakes,
fake penalties,
sad goodbyes.
I know it’s all a slow process.
The win is getting closer.
Every four years,
since I’ve had a memory,
my heart gets filled
with pride and hope.
I stand in front of my past
and allow myself to believe.
I am getting further.
I am making my hopes true.
Football has always been an important part of my life. One of my first memories was watching matches with my grandfather. Even if I don’t watch any other game, I always follow the Mexico team. This year, fans began using “¿y si sí?” as a motto for the team. We barely have chances to win, but what if we do win? In this poem, I decide to use the idea of that phrase and apply it in my own life bWhat if I hold on to hope? What if things do actually go as I plan? The same way I believe in a team of 26 people I have never met, I need to start to believe in myself.
Sam Silva found their passion in writing from a very young age and hasn’t let it go ever since. As a multilingual artist born and raised in Mexico City, they focus their texts in both Spanish and English. Their work draws inspiration from latin-american magical realism authors and childhood stories to explore their own life experiences.
Silva is currently a student at the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana in Mexico City where they study Creative Writing and Literature.
