Answer:
I believe the common theme of the two poems is how immigrants belong to two different worlds at the same time.
Explanation:
"My Uncle's Favorite Coffee Shop", by Naomi Shihab, and "My Tongue is Divided Into Two", by Quique Avilés, are poems that describe how immigrants can bee pleasantly torn between two different worlds, two different cultures.
The speaker in the first poem describes her uncle. He came from "an iceless country" and, because of that, thoroughly enjoyed drinking iced water while sitting in his favorite booth. He was a happy man, a man who was thankful for the possibilities, the job, the food, the dreams that this new country has given him. Still, he was a man who missed his old country, who wished to return. It was as if he had become a part of both countries, or as if both countries had become a part of him.
The same happens to the speaker in the second poem. He is describing how the language he speaks is a mixture of two different languages. How they combine, translate, speak. Since the languages represent different cultures, they also represent different sides of the speaker. One side prays while the other parties. One side asks for water while the other curses. Still, the speaker loves his language. No matter how crazy it can be, the miracles or accidents it can cause: My tongue is divided into two/ I like my tongue /it says what feels right.
