You Won't Remember
You won't remember me tomorrow,
I'm the indigena you don't want to see,
Do women who mirror your earth colored
skin remind you of who you really are?
Our multiplicities making us more whole,
I'm the hembra you are afraid of feeling within your soul, or know you never could, knowing my tonal, symbols, gifts,
I speak the broken Spanish you don't
want to hear, but, I speak the
language of our ancestors, calling for protection surrounding
my
children,
I'm the copal, comino, ancho spices and flavors you don't recognize, healing from within rather than from without,
Do you honor the journey your abuelita has smoothed for you or do you buy into the self-hatred that the Barbie-loving world thrives/dies on?
I'm the blood in the veins of the women
of Juarez, disappeared, voices can no longer be heard, over the
desert lands, cannot be heard over the humming of factory bus,
cannot be seen
as they are left touched, but not loved,
left in the sun but not warm,
You won't remember me tomorrow
Mirroring, seeing, being,
You won't remember.
You won't
You
Drum Song
Mijo, hombrecito
I stop and stand hearing the familiar beats,
As I hear your drumming before I see you,
You have continued your drumming
I hear our comunidad in your drumming,
I feel their prayers in each drum beat,
That you instinctively, succinctly touch on the deer skin covered
huihuitl.
I see the hearts of our warriors in
your eyes,
As you yourself keep your pained strained arms on the drum beat
as if the ancient ones depend upon you to guide their journeys
home.
Drum Beats Heart Beats,
They are one and the same for you.
Many hearts, many souls hear your drum and are re-quickened, as they again bring hearts back to their familias,
Suns rise upon your soul,
Souls rest upon sundown,
"Mamá" you say to me,
"My spirit dreams keep drumming and I awake with new songs,"
Heed this song mijo, it is the ancient ones that have gifted you to bring the inherent rhythms of our raza to their hearts.
Drum Beats, Heart Beats,
They are one and the same for you.
© 2004 Lupe Castillo. From the Red CalacArts Publications chapbook ¿Under What Bandera? AntiWar Ofrendas from Minnesota y Califas.