Xiomara’s baby bracelet reads “mi hija”—“my daughter”—on one side and her name on the other, and it symbolizes the complex way that Xiomara’s identity is both connected to and separate from her family, particularly Mami. Juxtaposing Xiomara’s relationship to Mami (through the phrase mi hija) with Xiomara’s individuality (her name), the bracelet is a literal form of the difficult place Xiomara is in in terms of figuring out her own individuality and breaking free from Mami’s control. That it feels like a shackle to Xiomara encapsulates her sense of feeling alone and secretive about her true desires and thoughts, while the fact that Mami thoughtfully has it resized for her also points to the loving bond that underlies their painful relationship. Later, Mami ripping the bracelet off of Xiomara’s wrist very literally removes the shackle—albeit in a devastating and hurtful way.
The Baby Bracelet Quotes in The Poet X
I lay it across my wrist
and cinch the clasps closed.
Her daughter on one side,
myself on the other.
The Baby Bracelet Symbol Timeline in The Poet X
