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5 de Marzo, 2008
that's why we use an X
Categorized under Cultura , Poesía , Raza | Tags: Chicanas, Chicanos
xicano
means beautiful despised
children of tomorrow
dodging wire forged by yesterday's lie
to me
xicano is a name for orphan
a child abandoned by tradition, tribe, and history
a nimble heart running barefoot along the bloodied lips of the land
kicking up wind and rain
scoop of sweet corn in his bone-dry hand and
pure soda pop in his veins
xicano means student
sometimes of the wrong screed
he learns what he's given
what he can find and sometimes only repeats what he's heard
in a house where his people have lived as the conquered
the hated
the feared
the recruited
the exploited
the needed
the rewritten
the forgotten
the fetishized
the absorbed
and minimized
been here since the dawn of american time
the beautiful despised
xicano
means new day in the temple of ancient night
xicano means warrior with a red cheek splashed acrylic and bright
xicano means you are your own keeper and teacher, too
xicano means you fade away or you fight
xicano means negotiator
of the borders of these worlds
the manufactured and the natural
the reinvented and historical
the fantastic and coldly practical
the modern and hysterical
xicano means hummingbird, mockingbird, too
xicano means stone and smoke and blood and fire and fine synthetic blends and widescreen tv
xicano means cholo and pocho and pachuco and sometimes borracho
xicano means that you can get with white american girls who desire extra salsa
xicano means you are vendido if you get with white american girls desiring extra salsa
xicano means you love the lady guadalupe liberty lucha but nunca señora sun maid
xicano means you speak googlespanish
and english so well that you threaten to shame tu familia
xicano means your name, once carried to méxico by conquistadores can still
kill robots in modern day U.S.A.
xicano means you have pyramid-shaped sparkles in your eyes
but usually mistake them for American Idol spotlight refraction
xicano means you belong to nothing and that's why we use an X
xicano means you are a crossing between past and future
and that's why we use an X
xicano means you are a seam in the soul of what is unbroken and whole and that's why we use an X
xicano means you are now standing where earth and space and concrete and hope and calavera and gold and barbed wire and pulque and LCD and smoking mirror meet up
and that is why we use
an X
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Comentarios (13)
noemi dijo:
nice.
Palabras por noemi spat forth on el 5 de Marzo, 2008 at 07:17 AM
nezua
dijo:
thank you, noemi.
Palabras por nezua
spat forth on el 5 de Marzo, 2008 at 08:06 AM
M
dijo:
Love it, especially this part:
xicano means warrior with a red cheek splashed acrylic and bright
xicano means you are your own keeper and teacher, too
xicano means you fade away or you fight
xicano means negotiator
of the borders of these worlds
the manufactured and the natural
the reinvented and historical
the fantastic and coldly practical
the modern and hysterical
The creative and absurdly lyrical...ay, I adore it. :)
Palabras por M
spat forth on el 5 de Marzo, 2008 at 09:21 AM
nezua
dijo:
gracias, amiga.
Palabras por nezua
spat forth on el 5 de Marzo, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Tony Herrera dijo:
Buenisimo poema!
Poderoso, intelectual y lírico tambien.
Thanks for sharing this poem. It deserves a spot within a Def Poetry session or some type of venue where its powerful cadence can be heard.
Palabras por Tony Herrera spat forth on el 5 de Marzo, 2008 at 12:35 PM
nezua
dijo:
gracias, tony! i appreciate that, man.
Palabras por nezua
spat forth on el 5 de Marzo, 2008 at 01:09 PM
denise dijo:
i really dig this line:
~xicano means new day in the temple of ancient night...
beautiful. thanks for sharing
Palabras por denise spat forth on el 5 de Marzo, 2008 at 02:10 PM
jose dijo:
:: snap snaps::
Palabras por jose spat forth on el 5 de Marzo, 2008 at 03:41 PM
man eegee dijo:
THAT was exactly what I needed to read right now. You continue to inspire and amaze me, nez. gracias
Palabras por man eegee spat forth on el 5 de Marzo, 2008 at 05:50 PM
nezua
dijo:
ah, my friend, that means everything. gracias.
Palabras por nezua
spat forth on el 5 de Marzo, 2008 at 05:57 PM
nezua
dijo:
jeje...lovin the snaps, jose.
Palabras por nezua
spat forth on el 6 de Marzo, 2008 at 06:24 AM
cindylu dijo:
Wow. Beautifully written. It seems like it needs to be spoken to get the true effect.
It's like a Yo Soy Joaquin for the 21st century.
Palabras por cindylu spat forth on el 10 de Marzo, 2008 at 12:15 AM
nezua
dijo:
gracias, cindylu. you are not the first to say that about the speaking out loud...and i think i'll speak this one, record it and post it, now that you mention it again. :) and muchas gracias for the comparison to señor gonzales' great work! i'm truly honored.
Palabras por nezua
spat forth on el 10 de Marzo, 2008 at 08:00 AM