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. What 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.
