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28 de Septiembre, 2007

Seven Minutes of Sunshine from Lorna Dee

Categorized under Corazón , Poesía , Raza | Tags: Lorna Dee Cervantes, Poets

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, but in wading through all the hectic energy of "news" as presented by the media, I often need deep draughts of beauty. Lorna Dee Cervantes is one of my favorite poets, and a good place to fill up tu copa.

Here is her poem Sunshine Knife Blades. I suggest you read it aloud, and carefully. These words are like wine, to be savored, and tasted, and taken in slowly.

Sunshine Knife Blades
Fifteen years old in five year old jeans,
my shepherd pup, my traveling rainbow,
my loyal thumb
bulging with desire. My road
rutted and rutting, my dead ahead
sorrow. My moccasinned feet
rolling in small kisses of bruising,
a cartography of touch
languishing over the tan.

He put his necklace of
anger safe at my throat.
My ivory recorder, a still
white bird in my lap. An avenue
of alcoholic vapor filled the fear.
In those days our pass to pass
was our smile. Innocence
was a gumball treasure
and all our pockets were picked.

Whetted, whelped, well
on our way out -- we hemmed
up the fortune of our flounce
and folded into ourselves,
jack-knifed on the dare -- and glinting.

—Lorna Dee Cervantes - 2/2/06

Pure gold.

 The Unapologetic Mexican has been known to scribble a few things besides meandering, verbose, self-congratulatory blog posts. However, they are rarely as fun. Finally, let it be known that Nezua first dared bust out this Habanero of Truth at exactly 7:15 AM.  | Top | View blog reactions