Still, I don’t know what country
          does death belong to. (8-9)

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The border in this instance creates a physical and emotional division. When you are looking at your family members feeling the same disconnect, it is no wonder why the speaker begins to question where abstractions “belong.” This is a feeling that resonates with many and Castillo is aware of that from the start.

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While considering identity, Castillo simultaneously grapples with familial relationships. Sometimes this is revealed through the mention of specific family members in poems and other times it is carried out in origin stories. This simple act of having multiple “Origin” poems is important to note because it is a way of looking at shared experiences from a common starting point. In the “Notes” (101), it states that a poem is dedicated to Castillo’s late uncle Ramón and this piece “Origin of Birds” (44-48) is one of the most powerful in the entire collection for many reasons. First, there is the visual aspect at play throughout the poem. The lines are written primarily on the bottom of the page with a stark bold line overarching the text. Whether this is representing a physical separation, different spiritual worlds, or a purely aesthetic choice is not stated which in a way seems to increase its significance. Secondly, this poem documents a family member’s decline through cancer while exploring the relationship to the body. This is best represented in these lines:

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               The doctor’s hands
               reaching into your stomach
          as if looking for lost change. (36-38)

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This intrusive action not only gets the reader’s attention sonically, but it further illuminates the impact watching a family member go through sickness has on a person. Writing about a family member seems cathartic in this poem but it is also essential to further interrogating the ties that surround many of us.

Another aspect that allows this book to make such an impression is the use of various forms. It ranges from varying line lengths and the use of italics for emphasis to fragments that are scattered across the page. “Fifteen Elegies” (39-41) serves as the primary example of individual numbered sections which each possess their own power. With these miniature pieces Castillo is able to create a hint of narrative that seems to circle back to the title of the book. Cenzontle means mockingbird in Spanish and this desire to escape is alluded to in this poem:

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          [4]
          The birds don’t know it’s not too late
          to abandon their nests. (6-7)

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These lines add to the overarching themes of questioning and belonging that are present throughout the book and it forces the reader to reconsider if they are really “seeing” the big picture. Castillo seems more concerned with his audience viewing every crevice opposed to agreeing with what his image is.

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In addition to the use of fragments, there is also a sense of unraveling that occurs in different poems. This pulling apart feels necessary for the speaker and the reader. While recounting specific memories, this image of the bird tends to pop up and represent a sense of a universal inner struggle as seen in “What You Can Know Is What You Have Made” (51):

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          The bird unraveled its song and became undone.

                    It couldn’t figure out
                    its own puzzle in its mouth
                    so it gave up. (12-15)

A sense of unraveling can occur through researching ancestral history or even in the Immigrant Interview poems throughout this book. This act of looking and coming “undone” is important to move forward in the numbered sections through this book and in life.

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Castillo explains in the “Notes” (101) that "cenzontle" comes from the Nahuatl word "cenzuntli" which refers to one who holds 400 voices or songs. The definition of this word seems to capture the essence of the entire book because of the way voices emerge in this space Castillo creates. It does not feel contained as these experiences of immigration, through any measure, are not cut and dry. Through his poetics Castillo demonstrates what it is like to be the keeper of stories while also searching for answers. He wants the voices to be heard because the act of speaking is powerful to begin with. Allowing this plethora of voices to emerge is established before the very first section in the title poem (13-14):

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          You called it cutting apart,

                   I called it song. (25-26)

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Cenzontle serves as a looking glass with a clear goal of transformation in the center of it all.