Desde La Ciudad de México Se Les Regala Una Canción "de la tierra"

Olga García Echeverría


Warning: The fonts in this blog have a mind of their own and refuse to succumb to my wishes. 

Saludos dear Bloga readers. I'm in Mexico City this weekend, eating panbazos and leading a creative writing workshop at LesbianArte, el primer festival y encuentro de arte y activismo lésbico.  For more information on what's happening at LesbianArte visit: http://festivallesbianarte.tumblr.com/

Foremost on my mind and in my heart here in México City is former bloguera, tatiana de la tierra. Hardcore LesbianArtista that she was, tatiana ventured to Mexico City annually to attend lesbian encuentros and to congregate with fellow radical artistas. El mundo lésbico de la ciudad de México adores tatiana y el amor definitivamente se ve, se siente. This first LesbianArte festival is actually dedicated to tatiana as "un homeaje poético visual transfronterizo."

A regret: while tatiana was alive, I was never able to attend a lesbian encuentro in Mexico with her. We spoke of it several times and our intention was to someday go together. On our wish list were also travels to Hawaii and Colombia. Whenever I think of lesbian encuentros in Mexico, of los mares de Hawaii or las montañas de Colombia, my heart swells and I get terribly nostalgic. 


Medicina: I'm here in Mexico City with my girlfriend and two of tatiana's dearest friends, las fabulosas Rotmi y Ina, organizers of this year's LesbianArte Festival, where tatiana's work is being celebrated. I first met Rotmi and Ina when they visited Los Angeles last November. These are two hardcore LesbianArtistas dedicated to fighting patriarchy and homophobia at both local and international levels. They have also been active in promoting, documenting, and honoring tatiana's contributions to the Latina Lesbian literary world. Here's a picture of them in front of Self Help Graphics giving some solidarity love to La Mujer de Maíz.

I would love to keep blogging, but I'm currently surrounded by arte, activists, talleres, lesbians, and kick-ass, blue corn quesadillas (hechas a mano, of course). 
In honor of the first LesbianArte festival and Earth Day 2013, I'll close with  a poema by tatiana de la tierra and a few words regarding the enclosed piece. 

"Gaia Mother Earth Tierra Santa" is one of tatiana's many alabanzas to mother earth. The piece was published in 2011 in tatiana's last chapbook, Pajarito: Regálame una Canción. It is being posted here con mucho amor and with the permission of her mother, Fabiola Restrepo. One of the last poetic projects that tatiana didn't get a chance to manifest prior to her passing was an audio recording of her poem-canciones. She wanted people to hear the music in the poems she was writing. We don't have her voice to accompany the poem below, but there's so much musicality in the piece that it sings off the page regardless. Hasta la próxima, enjoy!

GAIA MOTHER EARTH TIERRA SANTA

tierra que tú me tienes
tierra que eres mi cuna
tierra que estoy contigo
y con toda tu fortuna

gaia mother earth tierra santa
todo lo tuyo es mi mantra
gaia mother earth tierra santa
todo lo tienes nada te falta

teirra con tus aguaceros
tierra con tus orquídeas
tierra con tus montañas
esmeraldas y semillas

gaia mother earth tierra santa
todo lo tuyo es mi mantra
gaia mother earth tierra santa
todo lo tienes nada te falta

tierra que tú me cuidas
tierra que yo te cuido
tierra te pertenezco
y te gozo, vida mía

gaia mother earth tierra santa
todo lo tuyo es mi mantra
gaia mother earth tierra santa
todo lo tienes nada te falta
todo lo tienes nada te falta

For more on tatiana's work: http://www.delatierra.net/