Rudolfo and Patricia Anaya Lecture Series on the Literature of the Southwest
Before there were Blogs there was Listserve. And for readers of Chicana Chicano Literature, the best listserv was CHICLE. In fact, La Bloga's OG blogueros, Rudy Garcia, Manuel Ramos, and Michael Sedano, met as CHICLEros (although Rudy and Manuel were homeboys antes de ser blogueros).
I was reminded how much I miss CHICLE when its founder, Teresa Marquez of the University of New Mexico (yes, the same Teresa Marquez of a Sonny Baca mystery novel whose title escapes me), advised La Bloga of the upcoming Rudolfo and Patricia Anaya Lecture Series on the Literature of the Southwest. Teresa, thank you for all that work monitoring and nurturing CHICLE.
The inaugural speaker is Simon Ortiz, Acoma poet and professor at Arizona State University. His presentation, the connections among indigenous cultures, Southwest studies and global literature, will be Thursday, October 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the George Pearl Hall auditorium at the University of New Mexico.
The event is free and open to the public.
The lecture series will be an annual event under the auspices of the UNM English Department through a generous donation from Rudolfo Anaya.
Before there were Blogs there was Listserve. And for readers of Chicana Chicano Literature, the best listserv was CHICLE. In fact, La Bloga's OG blogueros, Rudy Garcia, Manuel Ramos, and Michael Sedano, met as CHICLEros (although Rudy and Manuel were homeboys antes de ser blogueros).
I was reminded how much I miss CHICLE when its founder, Teresa Marquez of the University of New Mexico (yes, the same Teresa Marquez of a Sonny Baca mystery novel whose title escapes me), advised La Bloga of the upcoming Rudolfo and Patricia Anaya Lecture Series on the Literature of the Southwest. Teresa, thank you for all that work monitoring and nurturing CHICLE.
The inaugural speaker is Simon Ortiz, Acoma poet and professor at Arizona State University. His presentation, the connections among indigenous cultures, Southwest studies and global literature, will be Thursday, October 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the George Pearl Hall auditorium at the University of New Mexico.
The event is free and open to the public.
The lecture series will be an annual event under the auspices of the UNM English Department through a generous donation from Rudolfo Anaya.
Also this week: SoCal Historical Archives Feast
Doheny Memorial Library, University of Southern California, hosts the 5th-Annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar, Saturday October 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The bazaar showcases the USC Libraries' extensive collection of Southern California and Los Angeles materials. Displays include 70-plus historical collections and archives, including L.A.-area universities, libraries, museums, and community organizations. Historians, local culture aficionadas aficionados, curious writers and assorted tipas tipos will browse rare collections, consult with experts, and learn about researching L.A. history, online tools, preserving your personal history collections.
The event is free. Parking is $8.00. See the "LA as Subject" website for maps, contact info and other datos.
Siqueiros Events Continue in El Lay This Week. Meet Mark Vallen: Artist, Writer
After spending the day at USC Doheny Memorial Library's bazaar, it's a short drive to Eagle Rock for José Vera gallery's 6:30 p.m. art talk by noted realist artist Mark Vallen on Siqueiros & the Mexican School of Social Realism.
José Vera's current show features prints and drawings created as tributes to the Mexican muralist's heritage. In addition, the gallery offers a breathtaking collection of furniture, Batchelder-style tile, colored-glass and mosaic work. Located near the corner of Eagle Rock and Colorado blvds at 2012 Colorado Blvd, LA 90041, José Vera sponsors poetry readings and local artist shows. More information is at the gallery's website.
Vallen appears also in November at the Mexican Cultural Institute at Olvera Street, speaking on David Alfaro Siqueiros and the BLOC OF PAINTERS, American Social Realism in the 1930s.
When Siqueiros arrived in Los Angeles in 1932 he assembled what he called the "Bloc of Painters," a group of United States artists whose members assisted the Mexican muralist in painting three monumental wall paintings in L.A. Among Bloc members were Rubin Kadish, Harold Lehman, Fletcher Martin, Phil Paradise, Murray Hantman, Barse Miller, Paul Sample, Philip Guston, Millard Sheets. By combining projected images with his lecture, Mark Vallen brings to light that buried history. Saturday, November 6, 2010. 6:30 p.m. Mexican Cultural Institute.
When Siqueiros arrived in Los Angeles in 1932 he assembled what he called the "Bloc of Painters," a group of United States artists whose members assisted the Mexican muralist in painting three monumental wall paintings in L.A. Among Bloc members were Rubin Kadish, Harold Lehman, Fletcher Martin, Phil Paradise, Murray Hantman, Barse Miller, Paul Sample, Philip Guston, Millard Sheets. By combining projected images with his lecture, Mark Vallen brings to light that buried history. Saturday, November 6, 2010. 6:30 p.m. Mexican Cultural Institute.
The Siqueiros bits & pieces come from Mark Vallen's blog, Art for a Change. It's well worth frequent visits, or a free subscription. In the current edition, Vallen has a fascinating critique comparing Vietnam-era protest art to Obama's Afghanistan war, "The Madonna of the Napalm."
Early Notice: Veterans Day Reading Event
AMVETS Post II will be hosting a Veterans Day event on Nov. 11 at 7 pm. It will feature readings by novelist Daniel Cano, Death and the American Dream; Chris Sweeney, reading fromThe Things They Carried, and Actor/Activist, Kiki Castillo reading from William "Bill" Lansford's latest work on the USMC Raiders.
Lansford leads the effort to complete the installation of the Obregon Memorial near Olvera Street. The memorial honors the 4000 holders of the Congressional Medal of Honor, including the 40 Latinos whose valor in combat singled them out for the nation's most significant honor.
AMVETS Post 2 is located at 10858 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA
AMVETS Post 2 is located at 10858 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA
On-Line Floricanto from Poets Responding to SB1070
Last week, La Bloga introduced the moderators active in selecting La Bloga's On-Line Floricanto poems. Poets submit their work to the Facebook group, Poets Responding to SB1070, and the moderators make their several recommendations, with leader Francisco Alarcón tabulating their choices to produce the list of weekly floricanto work.
This week, the hard-working staff selected eight poets for your reading pleasure:
1. "Nahualli" by Octaviano Merecias-Cuevas
2. "Mi bandera"/"My Flag" by Sonia Gutiérrez
3. "Cómo hubiera" by Abel Salas
4. “Borderless Haikus" by azul i haros
5. "Time to Shine/Out of the Dark" by Manuel Lozano
6. "Del Color de Esta Tierra Yo He Nacido" by Victor Yaocelotl Olguin
7. "Columbus Day" by Stay True ~ Jesus Cortez
8. “Epiphany Pathway” by Scott Maurer
Nahualli
by Octaviano Merecias-Cuevas
Cha ja ntaku kitii
Me sacudo la melena larga de mi tribu Mixteca
Mis pies de vegetales cobran energías con un tercer ojo
Soy la mitad del corazón salvaje que le crecen garras
Y ahora puedo volar y esconderme en el aire.
¿Qué hará mi gente Triqui en los campos de tomate
si no llegamos a tiempo a curarle el mal?
¿Qué hará la Mixteca abandonada en el desierto
si no llega a tiempo la medicina del Nahual?
He visto a la mujer indígena violada y tirada
Dejar correr un charco de lagrimas rojas
Allí le sigue mi madre negra atada con cadenas
Debajo de la iglesia y detrás de los plantíos.
Aquel cuerpo del indio en la frontera yace tirado
y su espíritu me habla con voz de viento
la conciencia del bien me llama para curar,
pues la pólvora del opresor yo puedo escapar
.. ..
He visto los látigos del caporal marcar
La espalda del indio y negro, en el norte y en el sur
Y seguí a la mujer viuda que llora por las calles
buscando al hijo desaparecido, se lo llevo el dólar.
I’m the thousand voices of millions, the nahualli.
I’ll hide behind the small prints of the antropolgists
I’ll chew away books published by the lingüist,
The real reason lies deep in the mountains
with those forgotten by history and by us.
Nací con el tiempo y con el sol moriré
Ni las enciclopedias del blanco ni las flechas del mal
Me tocaran, solo el corazón de mi gente me hará llorar
Soy la voz del silencio del mojado abandonado
Soy el grito del indio en las montañas
Soy el reflejo de tu conciencia
No soy miedo, soy cultura, no soy ruido
Soy lengua, soy tu amigo, soy tu amiga.
"Mi bandera"/"My Flag" by Sonia Gutiérrez
Mi bandera
Mi bandera es del color de la flora—
de amarillos, verdes crespos y secos,
y de rosados encendidos: son las caritas
de flores y botones por sonreír.
Mi bandera es del color de la fauna—
de matices cremosos y oscuros
y de un pecho azul verde resplandeciente:
es el galope inquieto levantando el polvo y el grito
desgarrador emplumado.
Mi bandera es del color del agua—transparente
arropándome con sus brazos sin pugnar por el color
de la piel: en ella—río, gozo, canto, lloro y vuelvo
a sentirme amada.
Mi bandera no es del color de un arroyo rojo
de la sangre derramada de mi hermano palestino,
de mi hermana africana, de mi hermano blanco,
de mi hermana china, y de mi hermano sediento.
mi bandera es el vaivén de una mano y un pañuelo
como un pájaro mensajero dolido buscando un monte
de esperanza ofreciendo paz y libertad.
My Flag
My flag is the color of flora
of yellows, crisp and dry greens,
and of bright pinks: they are the little faces
of flowers and buds to soon smile.
My flag is the color of fauna—
of creamy and dark hues
and of a radiant greenish-blue chest:
it is the restless gallop stirring dust and the feathered
heart-rending scream.
My flag is the color of water—clear
embracing me with its arms without fighting over skin
color: in it—I laugh, I rejoice, I sing, I cry and I feel
loved again.
My flag is not the color of a red stream
of spilled blood from my Palestinian brother,
from my African sister, from my white brother,
from my Chinese sister, and from my thirsty brother:
my flag is the swaying of a hand and handkerchief
like a wounded messenger bird searching for a mount
of hope offering peace and liberty.
"Cómo hubiera" by Abel Salas
(a quienes llegaron y están por llegar)
Como hubiera
querido quererte aún
mejor y entender que
la frontera reflejada en
tu quijada dura
en tu boca fuerte
a veces en la sonrisa
tan sincera como
la de tus padres
sí era traspasable
Como hubiera
querido decir que
el viaje sin remedio
lo hiciste por un amor
vivo, tangible y real
y no solo hecho de
las puras palabras
Como hubiera
querido hacerte
entender que mi
sangre tambien
vive en tu país
la fuente de mis
antepadasos y
todos los sueños
como alas de
un papalotl de
papel china
Como hubiera
querido cruzar
la frontera final
a tu lado sin los
mismos miedos o
el eco sanguinario
de fantasmas viejas
clavadas en mis
venas desde antes
cuando aun existia
dentro del vientre
de mi madre y contra
cuales he luchado
desde hace siglos
Como hubiera
querido ser bueno
ante tus ojos de
obsidiano y tus
pasos hacia el
mentado norte
Como hubiera
querido salvar
tanto a nuestro
cariño como hubiera
querido cicatrizar
a tanta gente con
sed perdida en
el desierto por
nada y sin nada
más que heridas
de lo inalcanzable
Como hubiera
querido tratar de
volar por el espacio
teleportarme a ti
y al pasado con
brazos cargados
de agua y pan para
aquellas esperanzas
y un beso profundo
plantado en tu frente
Como hubiera
querido despedirme
sin la desolación o
el diluvio de lágrimas
saladas sobre nuestros
recuerdos ya convertidos
en torres inmóviles
Como hubiera
querido borrar esas
leyes racisctas y
xenofóbicas para
no impedir tu
camino por las
piedras minerales
Como hubiera
querido sentir el
viento de tus mil
caricias otra vez
Como hubiera
querido borrar
mi propia torpeza
y hacerte creer
que sobre todo
y para siempre
eres mi otro yo
in lak ech
“Borderless Haikus" by azul i haros
1
cada palabra
un echo
para sanar la frontera
2
a border poem
can break the dreams
of minute men rifles
3
una poeta de la frontera
podra quebrar los fieros
alimentando un coyote
4
a border poem
can break the steal and will
of fronteras and papers
5
when will we collectively place
sb 1070 poems alonside
the arizona y tijuana borders
6
como me deshago
de la mentira de papeles
orkando mi columna vetebral
7
echo the universe
sin fronteras de lenguas
poetas respondiendo a el vientre de quetzalcoatl
8
de donde eres
poeta echo de barro y luz
cuantos papeles has quemado
9
open the herrida abierta
pour the medicine of your words
re-member you're tlacuilo
10
count and cuentame
de los soles azules adentro
de tus manos/abuelas/pueblos
11
how do these borders continue
to cross us out after we saw
they were lies that crossed us
12
border amnesia plaguing
zebra tortilla revolutionaries
eating ghost bones of juarez
13
generations of the thirteenth sun
waiting for your laughter
in re-membering your hands and music
can remove all these imaginary fronteras
14
human paper law
red and black law of tunkashila,
ometeo y la madre de la agua
que viva la evolucion
15
echoes of us
i was born to love
in this sacred borderless time
16
blue water
food of tonantzin
childrens song vibrating red
17
tell me where you're from
i'll tell you your name is deeper than that
sana las aguas de tu yollotl sin papeles
Time to Shine/Out of the Dark
by Manuel Lozano
Out of nowhere it was time,
Time to rebel, time to shine,
To pierce the dark overcast
And redefine the old uprise.
This one’s for all those from the past,
For all those seeking paradise
In a land where tyrants rule.
Control the feed, control the mule,
Work goes up, the pay goes down,
Look what happened to our sacred jewel,
The jester wears it on his makeshift crown.
In with wild thunder,
With full force, a natural wonder,
In the midst of the ongoing storm
With no time to ponder what’s coming next.
This one’s for all those with humble form,
The common list of usual suspects
That still emit the natural light.
Destroy the day, veil the night,
The stage is set, the curtains drawn,
The ones below suffer their plight
Because the top exploits what it’s sitting on.
There is no room to understand,
The hidden truth, some contraband,
It all relates to what is hidden
With the task at hand an ongoing nightmare.
This one’s for all those who are bedridden,
This is the madness that we share
In dreams that take a turn for the worse.
Twisted vision, whispered curse,
It’s all the same, nothing’s unique,
The left and the right side converse
About those left out that shall never speak.
There’s no surrender,
We the people, deemed the big spender,
Screaming out loud point the middle finger
At the legal tender with the eye on the price.
This one’s for all those who do not linger,
We take up arms against the enterprise
Who vows to keep the family defeated.
It is written, you can read it,
In these lines, in rhythmic melody,
We rise up and do whatever’s needed
To protect our family.
Just like that the time was here,
The veil burned, the smoke blown clear,
The skyline fractured with the lightning bolt
And we do not fear the road we’ve got to take.
This one’s for all those who revolt,
For the ones intact where fractures break
The tight grip of the ivory tower.
It’s us that lead, we have the power,
This land is ours, both yours and mine,
And in the depths of this darkest hour
It is indeed our time to shine.
© Manuel Lozano 2010
Del Color de Esta Tierra Yo He Nacido
by Victor Yaocelotl Olguin
Del color de esta tierra yo he nacido
Por herencia y con orgullo soy de sangre mexicana
Sangre que cubrió la faz de nuestra madre tierra
Cuando el invasor llego destruyendo todo a su paso
Con el único afán de saciar sus instintos y codicia desmedida
Hoy, la fuerza genética de mis antepasados se despierta
Hoy mi ser entero se transforma al ritmo del tambor
Mi corazón revive los recuerdos que con celo guardaba
Y descubro la belleza de nuestra tradición!
Victor Yaocelotl Olguin
Columbus Day
by Stay True - Jesus Cortez
So I lay my head on a foreign bed, wondering what could have been...
...They killed my mother, and left me for dead--now living is a sin...
How many barriers have been built, to keep me in my place...
Bullets could not, fences could not, ever stop my pace...
I wonder how murderers feel, to have a celebration...
Unless their last names are Columbus, they'll find incarceration...
Tomorrow I'll sing to skies, filled with mother's eyes...
I'm still alive, still have hope, much to their surprise...
SO I DREAM
by Stay True - Jesus Cortez
Forgive me for not wanting to be "American",
on second thought don't forgive me
I rather be me, free to see above flags,
since all they are is glamourized rags;
why would I brag about being accepted...
into a society that wants me to be molded in the name of their father,
their son and their holy spirit, but neglected
to tell me that even if I sold my soul
my skin would betray me in a heartbeat,so I stand before those who judge me
and say I rather be without papers
without fakers on my side--above the sun shines
only for those who belong, maybe I don't
but I still sing my song, in my voice
that will not be muted no matter how strong
the winds of oppression, or obsession
with a Dream that was never meant for me--
SO I DREAM a different dream, where papers
are useful only when minds are too lazy to
remember that humanity has no legality--
I rather be Respected than accepted;
so I can not ask for forgiveness for my sin,
or the sins of my MOTHERS, for that would
be betraying my brothers...
By: Jesus Cortez
Last week, La Bloga introduced the moderators active in selecting La Bloga's On-Line Floricanto poems. Poets submit their work to the Facebook group, Poets Responding to SB1070, and the moderators make their several recommendations, with leader Francisco Alarcón tabulating their choices to produce the list of weekly floricanto work.
1. "Nahualli" by Octaviano Merecias-Cuevas
2. "Mi bandera"/"My Flag" by Sonia Gutiérrez
3. "Cómo hubiera" by Abel Salas
4. “Borderless Haikus" by azul i haros
5. "Time to Shine/Out of the Dark" by Manuel Lozano
6. "Del Color de Esta Tierra Yo He Nacido" by Victor Yaocelotl Olguin
7. "Columbus Day" by Stay True ~ Jesus Cortez
8. “Epiphany Pathway” by Scott Maurer
Nahualli
by Octaviano Merecias-Cuevas
Cha ja ntaku kitii
Me sacudo la melena larga de mi tribu Mixteca
Mis pies de vegetales cobran energías con un tercer ojo
Soy la mitad del corazón salvaje que le crecen garras
Y ahora puedo volar y esconderme en el aire.
¿Qué hará mi gente Triqui en los campos de tomate
si no llegamos a tiempo a curarle el mal?
¿Qué hará la Mixteca abandonada en el desierto
si no llega a tiempo la medicina del Nahual?
He visto a la mujer indígena violada y tirada
Dejar correr un charco de lagrimas rojas
Allí le sigue mi madre negra atada con cadenas
Debajo de la iglesia y detrás de los plantíos.
Aquel cuerpo del indio en la frontera yace tirado
y su espíritu me habla con voz de viento
la conciencia del bien me llama para curar,
pues la pólvora del opresor yo puedo escapar
.. ..
He visto los látigos del caporal marcar
La espalda del indio y negro, en el norte y en el sur
Y seguí a la mujer viuda que llora por las calles
buscando al hijo desaparecido, se lo llevo el dólar.
I’m the thousand voices of millions, the nahualli.
I’ll hide behind the small prints of the antropolgists
I’ll chew away books published by the lingüist,
The real reason lies deep in the mountains
with those forgotten by history and by us.
Nací con el tiempo y con el sol moriré
Ni las enciclopedias del blanco ni las flechas del mal
Me tocaran, solo el corazón de mi gente me hará llorar
Soy la voz del silencio del mojado abandonado
Soy el grito del indio en las montañas
Soy el reflejo de tu conciencia
No soy miedo, soy cultura, no soy ruido
Soy lengua, soy tu amigo, soy tu amiga.
"Mi bandera"/"My Flag" by Sonia Gutiérrez
Mi bandera
Mi bandera es del color de la flora—
de amarillos, verdes crespos y secos,
y de rosados encendidos: son las caritas
de flores y botones por sonreír.
Mi bandera es del color de la fauna—
de matices cremosos y oscuros
y de un pecho azul verde resplandeciente:
es el galope inquieto levantando el polvo y el grito
desgarrador emplumado.
Mi bandera es del color del agua—transparente
arropándome con sus brazos sin pugnar por el color
de la piel: en ella—río, gozo, canto, lloro y vuelvo
a sentirme amada.
Mi bandera no es del color de un arroyo rojo
de la sangre derramada de mi hermano palestino,
de mi hermana africana, de mi hermano blanco,
de mi hermana china, y de mi hermano sediento.
mi bandera es el vaivén de una mano y un pañuelo
como un pájaro mensajero dolido buscando un monte
de esperanza ofreciendo paz y libertad.
My Flag
My flag is the color of flora
of yellows, crisp and dry greens,
and of bright pinks: they are the little faces
of flowers and buds to soon smile.
My flag is the color of fauna—
of creamy and dark hues
and of a radiant greenish-blue chest:
it is the restless gallop stirring dust and the feathered
heart-rending scream.
My flag is the color of water—clear
embracing me with its arms without fighting over skin
color: in it—I laugh, I rejoice, I sing, I cry and I feel
loved again.
My flag is not the color of a red stream
of spilled blood from my Palestinian brother,
from my African sister, from my white brother,
from my Chinese sister, and from my thirsty brother:
my flag is the swaying of a hand and handkerchief
like a wounded messenger bird searching for a mount
of hope offering peace and liberty.
"Cómo hubiera" by Abel Salas
(a quienes llegaron y están por llegar)
Como hubiera
querido quererte aún
mejor y entender que
la frontera reflejada en
tu quijada dura
en tu boca fuerte
a veces en la sonrisa
tan sincera como
la de tus padres
sí era traspasable
Como hubiera
querido decir que
el viaje sin remedio
lo hiciste por un amor
vivo, tangible y real
y no solo hecho de
las puras palabras
Como hubiera
querido hacerte
entender que mi
sangre tambien
vive en tu país
la fuente de mis
antepadasos y
todos los sueños
como alas de
un papalotl de
papel china
Como hubiera
querido cruzar
la frontera final
a tu lado sin los
mismos miedos o
el eco sanguinario
de fantasmas viejas
clavadas en mis
venas desde antes
cuando aun existia
dentro del vientre
de mi madre y contra
cuales he luchado
desde hace siglos
Como hubiera
querido ser bueno
ante tus ojos de
obsidiano y tus
pasos hacia el
mentado norte
Como hubiera
querido salvar
tanto a nuestro
cariño como hubiera
querido cicatrizar
a tanta gente con
sed perdida en
el desierto por
nada y sin nada
más que heridas
de lo inalcanzable
Como hubiera
querido tratar de
volar por el espacio
teleportarme a ti
y al pasado con
brazos cargados
de agua y pan para
aquellas esperanzas
y un beso profundo
plantado en tu frente
Como hubiera
querido despedirme
sin la desolación o
el diluvio de lágrimas
saladas sobre nuestros
recuerdos ya convertidos
en torres inmóviles
Como hubiera
querido borrar esas
leyes racisctas y
xenofóbicas para
no impedir tu
camino por las
piedras minerales
Como hubiera
querido sentir el
viento de tus mil
caricias otra vez
Como hubiera
querido borrar
mi propia torpeza
y hacerte creer
que sobre todo
y para siempre
eres mi otro yo
in lak ech
“Borderless Haikus" by azul i haros
1
cada palabra
un echo
para sanar la frontera
2
a border poem
can break the dreams
of minute men rifles
3
una poeta de la frontera
podra quebrar los fieros
alimentando un coyote
4
a border poem
can break the steal and will
of fronteras and papers
5
when will we collectively place
sb 1070 poems alonside
the arizona y tijuana borders
6
como me deshago
de la mentira de papeles
orkando mi columna vetebral
7
echo the universe
sin fronteras de lenguas
poetas respondiendo a el vientre de quetzalcoatl
8
de donde eres
poeta echo de barro y luz
cuantos papeles has quemado
9
open the herrida abierta
pour the medicine of your words
re-member you're tlacuilo
10
count and cuentame
de los soles azules adentro
de tus manos/abuelas/pueblos
11
how do these borders continue
to cross us out after we saw
they were lies that crossed us
12
border amnesia plaguing
zebra tortilla revolutionaries
eating ghost bones of juarez
13
generations of the thirteenth sun
waiting for your laughter
in re-membering your hands and music
can remove all these imaginary fronteras
14
human paper law
red and black law of tunkashila,
ometeo y la madre de la agua
que viva la evolucion
15
echoes of us
i was born to love
in this sacred borderless time
16
blue water
food of tonantzin
childrens song vibrating red
17
tell me where you're from
i'll tell you your name is deeper than that
sana las aguas de tu yollotl sin papeles
Time to Shine/Out of the Dark
by Manuel Lozano
Out of nowhere it was time,
Time to rebel, time to shine,
To pierce the dark overcast
And redefine the old uprise.
This one’s for all those from the past,
For all those seeking paradise
In a land where tyrants rule.
Control the feed, control the mule,
Work goes up, the pay goes down,
Look what happened to our sacred jewel,
The jester wears it on his makeshift crown.
In with wild thunder,
With full force, a natural wonder,
In the midst of the ongoing storm
With no time to ponder what’s coming next.
This one’s for all those with humble form,
The common list of usual suspects
That still emit the natural light.
Destroy the day, veil the night,
The stage is set, the curtains drawn,
The ones below suffer their plight
Because the top exploits what it’s sitting on.
There is no room to understand,
The hidden truth, some contraband,
It all relates to what is hidden
With the task at hand an ongoing nightmare.
This one’s for all those who are bedridden,
This is the madness that we share
In dreams that take a turn for the worse.
Twisted vision, whispered curse,
It’s all the same, nothing’s unique,
The left and the right side converse
About those left out that shall never speak.
There’s no surrender,
We the people, deemed the big spender,
Screaming out loud point the middle finger
At the legal tender with the eye on the price.
This one’s for all those who do not linger,
We take up arms against the enterprise
Who vows to keep the family defeated.
It is written, you can read it,
In these lines, in rhythmic melody,
We rise up and do whatever’s needed
To protect our family.
Just like that the time was here,
The veil burned, the smoke blown clear,
The skyline fractured with the lightning bolt
And we do not fear the road we’ve got to take.
This one’s for all those who revolt,
For the ones intact where fractures break
The tight grip of the ivory tower.
It’s us that lead, we have the power,
This land is ours, both yours and mine,
And in the depths of this darkest hour
It is indeed our time to shine.
© Manuel Lozano 2010
Del Color de Esta Tierra Yo He Nacido
by Victor Yaocelotl Olguin
Del color de esta tierra yo he nacido
Por herencia y con orgullo soy de sangre mexicana
Sangre que cubrió la faz de nuestra madre tierra
Cuando el invasor llego destruyendo todo a su paso
Con el único afán de saciar sus instintos y codicia desmedida
Hoy, la fuerza genética de mis antepasados se despierta
Hoy mi ser entero se transforma al ritmo del tambor
Mi corazón revive los recuerdos que con celo guardaba
Y descubro la belleza de nuestra tradición!
Victor Yaocelotl Olguin
Columbus Day
by Stay True - Jesus Cortez
So I lay my head on a foreign bed, wondering what could have been...
...They killed my mother, and left me for dead--now living is a sin...
How many barriers have been built, to keep me in my place...
Bullets could not, fences could not, ever stop my pace...
I wonder how murderers feel, to have a celebration...
Unless their last names are Columbus, they'll find incarceration...
Tomorrow I'll sing to skies, filled with mother's eyes...
I'm still alive, still have hope, much to their surprise...
SO I DREAM
by Stay True - Jesus Cortez
Forgive me for not wanting to be "American",
on second thought don't forgive me
I rather be me, free to see above flags,
since all they are is glamourized rags;
why would I brag about being accepted...
into a society that wants me to be molded in the name of their father,
their son and their holy spirit, but neglected
to tell me that even if I sold my soul
my skin would betray me in a heartbeat,so I stand before those who judge me
and say I rather be without papers
without fakers on my side--above the sun shines
only for those who belong, maybe I don't
but I still sing my song, in my voice
that will not be muted no matter how strong
the winds of oppression, or obsession
with a Dream that was never meant for me--
SO I DREAM a different dream, where papers
are useful only when minds are too lazy to
remember that humanity has no legality--
I rather be Respected than accepted;
so I can not ask for forgiveness for my sin,
or the sins of my MOTHERS, for that would
be betraying my brothers...
By: Jesus Cortez
“Epiphany Pathway" by Scott Maurer
Dedicated to Hal D. Levy, 28 February 1956 - 13 September 2010, and to Hal’s mother
what punctures our balloon
of suspension of disbelief
of painful emotions eased
by scapegoat punching-bag
BIOS
1. "Nahualli" by Octaviano Merecias-Cuevas
A trilingual Mixteco poet, socio-linguist, researcher, filmmaker and community educator. A member of H2@arte and Black Poets Society. Member of the new movement of Poesía Mixta, where the indigenous languages mix with Spanish, English, and Portuguese, can be part of one whole song/poem/piece using a simple mathematical structures. Currently he lives in Oregon where he serves as a faculty member for Oregon State University Extension Services working with youth at risk and leading New Media Technology projects. He has long hair, is single, and is looking for his musa. You can find out more about his new media projects at vozdenube.com and Facebook.com/octaviano.merecias or @ myspace.com/oktavio104
2. "Mi bandera"/"My Flag" by Sonia Gutiérrez
foto: Esveida Lopez
Sonia Gutiérrez’s poetry and fiction have appeared in City Works Journal, La Revista Literaria de El Tecoloto, Fringe Magazine, Mujeres de Maíz, among others and forthcoming in Turtle Island to Abya Yala. She teaches English at Palomar College and is currently working on her manuscript, Spider Woman/La Mujer Araña, a bilingual poetry collection. To see more of Sonia’s work, visit her bloguita, Chicana in the Midst: Poetry, Prose, and Fotografía by Sonia Gutiérrez, Guest Poetas y Fotographers.
3. "Cómo hubiera" by Abel Salas
4. “Borderless Haikus" by azul i haros
5. "Time to Shine/Out of the Dark" by Manuel Lozano
Manuel Lozano, self-taught writer and
artist, lives in El Paso, “El Chuco,” Texas,
cradle of the pachuco. Manuel writes
traditional verse “to the rhythm of the
Matachines.” His work has appeared in
Xican@ Poetry Daily,La Bloga and El Tecolote.
Visit his blog, Manuel Lozano: Xicano Writing, at
information.
6. "Del Color de Esta Tierra Yo He Nacido" by Victor Yaocelotl Olguin
Hello, i am Victor Yaocelotl Olguin, I live in Cleburne Tx. and i'm a member of calpulli Tonalpilli in Dallas Tx. I'm also with the group of danza Azteca-Chichimeca (Mexica') Mitiotiliztli Yaoyollo'tli (heart of the warrior) that belongs to the same calpulli.
7. "Columbus Day" by Stay True ~ Jesus Cortez
8. “Epiphany Pathway” by Scott Maurer
Scott Maurer is híbrido USA-Brasileiro writer living in Lake Oswego, Oregon, Administrator of Poets Responding to SB 1070 on Facebook, e alumnus of USC Annenberg, Albertson College of Idaho, Emory University, Ohio State University, Xavier University, U. of Cincinnati, e Colégio Salete Brasil.
