Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “Mona’s Taco” is a meditation on place, identity, and the quiet significance of small, familiar spaces. Through the invocation of Mona, an absent yet deeply felt figure, the poem explores the way certain landmarks—no matter how modest—serve as emotional and cultural anchors. The speaker’s admiration for Mona and her taco shop is not based on personal interaction but rather on the aura of authenticity and belonging that the place exudes.

The poem opens with a direct address: “Dear Mona, do you know / how your old building’s smooth stucco lines / mark the spot of Something True?” The capitalization of Something True elevates Mona’s taco shop beyond a mere business—it becomes a place of significance, a point of reference in the landscape. The smooth stucco lines evoke an old, well-kept building, a structure that has stood long enough to be recognized as part of the fabric of the place. The phrase suggests that Mona’s Taco is more than just a restaurant; it is a site of authenticity, a marker of continuity in a changing world.

The speaker then focuses on Mona’s sign: “The hand-lettered sign rises up, a flag on Highway 90 West.” This image equates the sign with a flag, suggesting a quiet resilience, a symbol of something steadfast in the community. The mention of Highway 90 West grounds the poem in a specific geography, but also implies movement—travelers, truckers, ranchers passing through. The idea that familiar conjunctions reign inside—bean & cheese, potato & egg—further cements the shop as a place of comfort, where simple, timeless food is served without pretense. The speaker speculates about Mona’s own culinary creativity, imagining a specialty of your own making—avocado twist or smoky salsa. Even in Mona’s absence, her presence is felt in the assumed personal touches she might have left behind.

The absence of Mona becomes more pronounced as the poem progresses. “Where are you, Mona, when the moon rises over Castroville? Your sign says CLOSED.” The specificity of Castroville, a small Texas town known for its Alsatian heritage, deepens the sense of rootedness in a particular place and time. The sign saying CLOSED introduces a note of finality and loss, suggesting that Mona and her business might no longer be active. Yet, the speaker continues to reach for her, addressing her as if she were still there, still part of the landscape.

The poem then shifts to the customers, painting a picture of the people who might have once filled Mona’s shop: “Here come the ranchers who just lived through the worst drought and flood back-to-back and the truckers on the Del Rio route.” This moment situates Mona’s Taco within a larger narrative of endurance. The ranchers and truckers represent working-class resilience, people navigating a world shaped by natural forces and economic necessity. The detail of “hats with an oily brim” adds texture, evoking the presence of weathered, hardworking individuals.

The speaker’s reflection deepens into something universal: “Don’t we all need someone to greet us to make us feel like we’re here?” This line broadens the poem’s scope beyond Mona’s Taco, turning it into a meditation on human connection. A place like Mona’s is not just about food—it is about recognition, about being acknowledged, about the comfort of being known. In a world that can feel transient and impersonal, the simple act of being greeted can affirm one’s existence.

The final lines turn toward the landscape: “West of town, soft fields ease our city-cluttered eyes. / There’s a rim of hills to hope for up ahead.” The mention of city-cluttered eyes contrasts the rural openness with urban congestion, suggesting that Mona’s Taco and places like it provide a kind of relief, a grounding force against the sprawl of modern life. The rim of hills to hope for introduces a forward-looking note, implying that even with loss or change, there remains something to anticipate, something worth seeking.

The poem closes with a deeply personal sentiment: “Mona mysterious Mona / I don’t have to eat with you to love you. / Every morning I think Mona’s up.” The repetition of Mona gives her name a reverential, almost mythical quality. The speaker acknowledges that love for a place, for a presence, does not require direct experience—it can exist in memory, in imagination, in the simple idea that Mona’s Taco once stood as a welcoming space. The final line, “Every morning I think Mona’s up,” carries both hope and melancholy. It suggests a ritual of remembering, a wish that Mona is still there, still opening her shop, still part of the world.

“Mona’s Taco” is a tribute to the quiet, often-overlooked places that define our landscapes and lives. Naomi Shihab Nye captures the way a small business, a familiar sign, a simple greeting can become more than just an exchange—they become symbols of stability, community, and home. The poem is ultimately about presence, about the people and places that shape us, even when they are no longer physically there. Through rich, understated imagery and a tone of quiet reverence, the poem transforms Mona from a person into something much larger—a figure of connection, resilience, and belonging.

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