Do remember, however, the best things in life are free and low calorie. For example, today's On-Line Floricanto comes at the price of a mouse click. Remembering that price does not equal cost, for the price of the mouseclick you end November 2010 with five poems selected by Francisco Alarcón and his co-moderators at Facebook's group Poets Responding to SB 1070.
Enjoy these five poets. See you in December.
mvs
1. "Gandhi Came to Arizona" by Victor Avila
2. "Race Is An Issue" by Leticia Diaz-Perez
3. "To All of Us!" by Victoria Hovda
4. "The Mexican Witch Project Here, to Undo a Spell" by Diana Joe
5. "Ven dime qué dice esta carta que tu mamá nunca tuvo estudio" by Edith Morris-Vasquez
Gandhi Came to Arizona
for the GANAS Revolution!
by Victor Avila
Gandhi came to Arizona
to fight an unjust law.
Here being brown's illegal.
He said,"Being brown's no crime at all."
Gandhi came to Arizona.
Martin came to Arizona
to speak and have his say.
Along a street in Phoenix
he was arrest yesterday.
Yes, Martin's here in Arizona.
Cesar came to Arizona
to organize and lead a march.
On the steps of the capitol
he told the governor that she lies.
Now he's facing time in Arizona.
The Maricopa jail
is filled with people such as these.
A people proud of who they are-
and unashamed of the color of their skin.
They're all behind bars in Maricopa.
So we must become the warriors
of the open hand and not the clenched fist.
We no longer fear the sheriff
and the hateful man he is.
Let us go Arizona.
Both the governor and sheriff know the end is near.
Their cause is lost, the Minutemen flee-
Their shadows will all soon disappear.
Let us chase them out of Arizona!
And just like those before us
who taught us how to march,
our history will not be one of blood
but based on the truth of God's eternal law.
Let us go to Arizona!
Let us go to Arizona
and help justice find a home.
Let it triumph over despair and hatred-
Let them know that they are not alone.
Yes, let us go to Arizona!
We will meet in Arizona-
We will meet in Arizona!
Victor Avila
11/20/10
Gandhi
Race Is An Issue
by Leticia Diaz-Perez
41 guns shots
killed an African man in the
South Bronx-
three cops
three guns
one innocent black man,
his name
Amadou Diallo-
bleeding to death
on a street
in the South Bronx.
Next day
the cops had only
four words for the press
"it was a mistake",
and then the headlines,
"Cops Shoot Young African Man,
Claim it was a Mistake"
A forty-one shot mistake?
Was this a forty-one shot mistake
or was it shooting practice
for three white cops?
A good target to practice on-
black man on a city street.
Maybe they were fantasizing
to be hunters on the tropical city streets of
the Bronx?
Maybe they were just high out of their minds-
coke-cops
instead of
good ol' coffee and doughnut boys.
Maybe they were terrorists
trained to kill anything
dark that moves in the night-
oh, that's right, these were American cops
not dark foreign terrorists
with hard to pronounce names
and curly black hair.
These were good ol' boys
clean cut boys
with easy to pronounce names
like Sean
and John
and let me not go on-
no, let me not go on...
let me just pause here
and close my eyes
and sit quietly
and light a candle
for:
-Amadou Diallo in the South Bronx
-Kiko Garcia in Washington Heights
-Malice Green in Detroit
-Rodney King in Los Angeles
-Timothy Thomas in Cincinnatti
-Abner Louima in Brooklyn
-Sean Bell in Queens
-Manuel Jamines in Los Angeles
-Sergio Hernandez in El Paso/Ciudad Juarez
-Anthony Baez in the South Bronx
-Woodrow Player in Los Angeles
-Anastasio Hernandez Rojas in San Diego
-James Brisette in New Orleans
-Ruben Salazar in Los Angeles
-Oscar Grant in Oakland
All these men
UNARMED-
blown away by cop guns
suffocated to an early death
kicked to a bloody mess
all by cops
all in the line of duty
payed for by
you and me
and uncle Sam's taxes
to protect our free society.
Most of these men
died,
some survived-
and
not one
not one
was white.
But let us not make race an issue,
no
let us not make race an issue,
lest we make some people uncomfortable.
These words :
"Let us not make race an issue..."
sound
like a politician's lame speech
about how America
is a perfect little melting pot
where all races live side by side and
happily ever after.
Oh pleaseeeee
who are we kidding?
and-
why should I not make race an issue?
when
It's
A FACT
that an overwhelming majority
of police brutality victims
are
black and latino men.
It's
A FACT
it is
not an exaggerated statement
not an emotional response to the latest shooting
not my imagination
-this last one in response to people
who've told me
they don't "see colors"-
nope.
Some people say they
don't see colors-
almost implying that
when I see colors ( where there are no colors)
it's all a part of
my "colorful" imagination.
Well,
it is not my imagination
that the war on drugs
and the war on crime
is not about the massive number of white folks
doing drugs,
or
selling drugs.
No,
white folks
"just" use and sell drugs
no big deal for cops or judges-
the war isn't about them.
The war on drugs
and
the war on crime
is about
people of color.
It's a
Jim Crow
war
with a
Jim Crow
judicial system
and a
Jim Crow
police force
that
guns down youth
for the "crimminal" act of
walking down the street
"while
black or brown"
A system that
puts young
people of color
behind bars for
doing the same things
white kids do
except
white kids
don't get caught as often-
because they're not
hunted down as much.
A system
that
pins down people of color into
prison sentences
that are
by and large,
much tougher-
thus
conveniently creating
a
neat
efficient
orderly
and
oh so
"legal"
way of
disposing
of them.
But maybe the worst thing that this system does
is that it
kills
people's
dreams...
So, as much as this might make some people
uncomfortable
to hear:
Race IS STILL an issue...
and being colorblind,
claiming not to see color-
doesn't make things
just go away.
In fact, pretending not to see race
makes things worse.
Bottom line is that
race is STILL an issue
and
it has always BEEN an issue-
or do you really think
it just went away
after the civil rights movement-
and that
all men are created equal
in this
land of the free?
TO ALL OF US!!
by Victoria Hovda
2010 BIRTHDAY INSPIRATION
Victoria dedicated her morning B-Day Yoga Class to:
To all the Poets, Authors and Song writers,
To those that are against SB1070 and acts inhumane.
To all the U.S. Veterans that have been deported... ?!!
To those in positions of 'power' but shouldn't, because they are inept!
To all the border fences, may they all come down some day...
To those that for one reason or another, at this moment, are in pain...
To those that no matter what, if or when, ARE always content!
To those that are separated from their Loved ones...
To all the women who continue to be the target of violence
To those that are blinded by the illusion of hate...
To All the Beautiful Children (and their parents) of the World!
To those that keep on going, sharing their WISDOM and their STRENGTH!!
To All the members of my Beloved Family!
To All my Friends, far or near, I LOVE you all the same!
To my Ancestors! To my Teachers! Nothing more needs to be said.
To ALL the Yoga Teachers Trainees of Fall of 2010!!
To everyone that has 'written' on this page.
To those that want to, but haven't, or can't...
To LOVE, COMPASSION, KINDNESS, INTEGRITY, COURAGE, HOPE, AND FAITH!!
To HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS...
To my BELOVED MOTHER...
To you, me, and them...
~Victoria Pérez-Hovda~
November 17, 2010
THE MEXICAN WITCH PROJECT HERE, TO UNDO A SPELL
by Diana Joe
THE MEXICAN WITCH PROJECT HERE, TO UNDO A SPELL
THE BRUJAS HAVE ARRIVED
THEY CAME WITH THE SNOW
I SUMMONED THEM
I ASKED THEM,...NO, I BEGGED THEM TO COME.
IT TOOK THEM A WHILE BUT THEY HAVE ARRIVED
THE MEXICAN WITCH PROJECT
THAT IS WHAT I AM CALLING THIS,
THEIR ARRIVAL,THIS GATHERING.
IT'S HERE AT MY HOUSE
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOUNTAINS
THEY ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL
MARTINA, HERMINIA,ANGELINA,
PLACIDA, HORTENCIA, URSULA
PAULINA, ALBERTINA LAS MEJORES.
YA LLEGARON !
YA ESTAN AQUI.
THEY HAVE TIED THEIR HAIRED
IN A SPECIAL WAY... WITH LISTONES DE COLORES
REPRESENTING THE YERBAS AND FLORES.
THEY WASHED WITH ROMERO Y XOCHITLS
AND THEY SMELL SO GOOD.
THEY ARE WEARING HUIPILES FROM 1507
AND FALDAS A MEDIA PIERNA DE TODOS COLORES.
THEY ARRIVED WITH THE SNOW.
I CALL IT THE MEXICAN WITCH PROJECT
THEY ARE HERE TO UNDO A SPELL.
THEY ARE THE BEST!
NOT LIKE THE REST.
HERE THEY ARE READY
TO UNDO THE SPELL
THAT HAS US FEELING SICK.
THEY COOKED UP MAGIC NOPALES
THEY'D BROUGHT FOR BREAKFAST..
WITH CRAWFISH FROM THE LAKE TEXCOCO.
THEY SERVED ME A PLATE WITH FRIJOLES
NEGROS
THAT THEY SAY THEY HAVE PLANTED IN ONE OF THE FIELDS
NEXT TO THE WATERFALL
SOMEWHERE IN THE SELVA..AND EVERYBODY LOVES THEM.
LAS BRUJAS BENDITAS DE MEXICO
THEY TELL ME TO HAVE A GOOD BREAKFAST
THEY LAUGH BEAUTIFULLY AND ANNOUNCE
THAT THERE'S LOTS OF WORK TO DO
THEY REMIND ME TO BUILD UP A GOOD FUEGO.
THEY TELL ME HOW TO DO IT AND TO
PLACE THERE INSIDE OF IT,A PIERDA LUMBRE.
SO THEY CAN SEE THE MAL..LOS MALES.
HA LA CHINGADA SCREAMS HERMINIA LOS TIENEN
BIEN DOMINADOS!
MIRA NOMAS LO QUE DICE LA PIERDA!
SE FORMA UN SOLDADO, UN EMPLEADO UNIFORMADO!
UN POLICIA CORRUPTO.
LOS GOLPEA Y LOS PATEA, MENDIGO DESGRACIADO!
The beautiful brujas de México
all rise to their feet looking at the piedra..
HORTENCIA CRIES AND SAYS MIRA NO MAS-LOS
NINOS TAMBIEN!
THE MEXICAN WITCH PROJECT BEGINS
A CHANT, A CLAPPING OF HANDS,A CRY!
THE WIND IS NOW HOWLING ,ASKS FOR PERMISSION N JOINS THEM!
THE CLOUDS MOVE AWAY TO LET THE SUN IN..TONATIUN REINFORCES THE FIRE!
THE TREE ACROSS THE STREET LOOKS THROUGH THE
WINDOW AS IF WANTING TO PEEK AT THE PIEDRA LUMBRE.
THE WHOLE NIEGHBORHOOD WHERE I LIVE,
IS PLACED IN DEEP SLEEP NOBODY CAN BE PART OF THIS
INTERPRETTION...THIS CURACION THIS MEDIATION!
ONLY THE MOUNTAIN,THE DEER NATION AND THE FROZEN PRECIPITATION.
EVERYTHING HAPPENED FAST.
THE ALTAR LOOKS GOOD.
THE ALTAR LOOKS WELL DRESSED.
THE ALTAR IS READY FOR THE TEST.
IN A CIRCLE WITH A BREAK TO THE WEST.
IN A CIRCLE WITH WOMEN FROM MEXICO
THAT HAVE ARRIVED TO ANSWER MY PRAYER.
THE MEXICO WITCH PROJECT
BEAUTIFUL.
ROSEMARY,PEPPERMINT,CATTAILS,BUTTERFLIES
NOPAL NEEDLES,FEATHERS FROM QUETZALES,DOS MONEDAS DE ORO..
COPALES,LOD0..FANGO DE LOS ARBOLES MAGICOS DE BOSQUE EN GUATEMALA
PLATA DE PERU..SILK FROM A NANA DE QUINTANA ROO..
UN RAYO DE LUZ, UN RELAMPAGO, UN ARCO IRIS,UN VENADO CALLED HIKURI!
yA bASTA! THEY SCREAM TOGETHER DIABLO MALDITO SAL YA DE AQUI!
THE MEXICAN WITCH PROJECT
HERE TO UNDO A SPELL
CALLED IMMIGRATION.
A SPELL THAT HAS US ALL SICK.
in solidarity to the gentes that are being affected by gross and
unjust immigraction law.
2010 diana-joe
Ven dime qué dice esta carta que tu mamá nunca tuvo estudio
by Edith Morris-Vasquez
Eres inteligente y mujer,
ven dime qué dice esta carta
tú que sabes tus letras qué será
parece importante, apúrate,
¿qué dice? No seas ranchera ya
dime. ¿Qué quieren decir con eso?
Ven, escribe aquí diez dólares,
y yo lo firmo. ¿Cómo se escribe
centavos? Y que no me cobren
más hija, diles que yo soy tu madre
y que me vas a decir qué dicen
luego me ayudas a contestar.
Tú que estás lista, no como tu mamá
que no fue a la escuela, anda ¡habla!
BIOS
1. "Gandhi Came to Arizona" by Victor Avila
Victor is an educator, poet and songwriter. He has been teaching for over twenty years in California schools. He is a widely published poet and a songwriter who's songs have been covered by many artists.2. "Race Is An Issue" by Leticia Diaz-Perez
Leticia Diaz-Perez was born in Virginia and raised in Michigan.She attended the University of Michigan, where she graduated with a BA/English and American Literature and an MA/Spanish and Latin American Literature. While at the University of Michigan she co-hosted "Radio Caliente" at WCBN FM , one of the first Latino radio shows in the Ann Arbor area. It was at WCBN that she interviewed Latino writers Pedro Pietri, Tato Laviera, Trinidad Sanchez,Sandra Cisneros and Piri Thomas-inspiring her to start writing and telling her story.Leticia has taught Spanish at the University of Michigan and in the Michigan public school system. She also taught in the New York City public school system, (4th grade bilingual teacher) where she had the opportunity to work with a group of beautiful children who had recently arrived from the Dominican Republic.Leticia is currently working on her first book of poems, "Sugar from the Sky".
3. "To All of Us!" by Victoria Hovda
Victoria Pérez-Hovda
Born in México, in the State of Nayarit.
Scorpio in Sun and under the Brilliance of a Full Moon Light.
Her Love for Nature and Poetry in action, began very early and became her refuge, a tool to help her cope with the hostile world, that at times, she lived in.
She lived in Tijuana, Baja California; during very important formative years.
Immigrated to The United States at the age of 19.
San Diego California has been her Home for the last thirty years.
Victoria is a Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher, and an avid practitioner of the same yoga she teaches.
She believes in the therapeutic, healing power of Yoga, Meditation and Poetry.
But above all, She believes that her loving family is her Greatest accomplishment and gift.
A "Perennial Student of Life" is how she prefers to see herself.
and because she believes in the power of the spoken and written word, and because she passionately loves what she does; when she is asked, "how was work?"
...her response:
"I do not work... I Write, I Love, and I TEACH."
4. "The Mexican Witch Project Here, to Undo a Spell" by Diana Joe
5. "Ven dime qué dice esta carta que tu mamá nunca tuvo estudio" by Edith Morris-Vasquez
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