LOVE POEMS SUBMITTED TO POETS RESPONDING TO SB 1070
1. Love and the Fisherman of Patzcuaro
by Andrea Mauk
I had never been swaddled in the sweet comfort
of love,
spent most of my life hoping un dia my name
would wind up scrawled on its list in lavender
or rose red, that it had been enscribed
in the ancient palabras adentro de Tzintzuntzan,
but more often
my heart wound up the toppled coconut,
blown from the tree,
jagged cracked shell
bleeding the milk of hope
onto the thirsty ground.
And then I met you.
I dreamed that love was softer than down,
buoyant upon Patzcuaro
waiting to be caught in the net
of the storied fisherman,
sweeter than nana’s pan dulce
formed in her warm and crinkly hands,
and able to make each minute stretch gracefully into the
perfection of memory,
that even with subtitulos,
there were no words that could quite describe
the language it speaks.
And then I saw your lips quiver when you looked at me.
I somehow understood that even when it
seemed that life had turned its back,
left me standing solita in
the whipping wind,
that the susurros I heard in its errant voz
were the antepasados who still threw
stardust and petals
onto the path I was meant to follow.
So I learned to listen,
to never lose hope,
to believe through my tears…
And then I looked into your eyes
and I knew.
========================
2. blossom
By Tara Evonne Trudell
I wear your scent
like a flower
releasing feelings
into air
I am the blossom
revealing petals
in your shine
unfolding love
filling breath
inhaling essences
of you
I continue to bloom.
tara evonne trudell c/s enero 29, 2012
===============
3. “House of empty rooms” a lyric
by James Downs
Sometimes you just find yourself
Sitting in the front porch swing swinging
The sun is setting the sky is darkening
It is the end of the day completing
In a house of empty rooms
There are mirrors of far walls ceiling
And your face is in every one
And something inside you calls revealing
Something inside you calls
Around from room to room
There are things seem ripe for forgetting
And if you live a thousand years
You’ll never find it all remembering
In a house of empty rooms
There are mirrors of far walls ceiling
And your face is in every one
And something inside you calls revealing
Something inside you calls
Something inside you calls something inside you calls
Something inside you calls something inside you calls
Did you think it’d be this way planning
On going quickly in a get-away slipping
Before you walk out that door
Turn around take one look more dreaming
You will never go this way again
It’ll have to hold in your heart singing
In a house of empty rooms
There are mirrors of far walls ceiling
And your face is in every one
And something inside you calls revealing
Something inside you calls
Something inside you calls
Something inside you calls
Something inside you calls
Something inside you calls
For more
James Downs
1-26-12
====================
4. blue corn and roses
by Tara Evonne Trudell
tasting scents
warming air
moistening lips
candles burning
flame flickering
copal smoke
dancing slow
leonard cohen
on the stereo
fire crackling
creating roar
coming alive
in old wood stove
wind riding
night sky
taming breeze
crescent moon
tilting smile
venus vying
me in your arms
floating
rose petals
on water
me your ally
like blue corn
and roses.
tara evonne trudell c/s enero 25, 2012
==================
5. CONTINUIDAD
Cada mañana
Antes de ver la luz del nuevo día
Me divierto jugando a imaginarte,
Si te imagino…
No puedo evitar el extrañarte.
Si te extraño…
Mis pensamientos vuelan a buscarte,
Si te busco…
No descanso mi bien hasta encontrarte,
Si te encuentro…
Me acerco lentamente para verte,
Si te veo…
Me invade un deseo intenso
Por besarte,
Si te beso…
No me queda mas remedio que amarte,
Si te amo…
Oh! si te amo,
Todo lo demás carece de importancia,
Mas presa de tan fuerte sentimiento
Me asalta un temor insano de perderte,
Si te pierdo…
No quiero ni pensar en lo que haría,
Por eso desecho de mi mente esa idea
Y espero impaciente
A que llegue la noche
Para poder soñarte,
Si te sueño…
Al comienzo de un nuevo amanecer
Me divierto jugando a imaginarte,
Si te imagino…
CONTINUITY
By Betty Sánchez
Every morning
Before the light of a new day
I enjoy playing the game of imaging you.
If I imagine you…
I can’t stop myself from missing you.
If I miss you…
My thoughts fly away to look for you.
If I look for you…
I can’t rest, my love until I find you.
If I find you…
I slowly move closer in order to see you.
If I see you…
I am overcome by an intense desire
To kiss you.
If I kiss you…
I can’t help loving you.
If I love you…
Oh! If I love you…
Nothing else seems to matter,
But in the grip of such strong feelings,
I am struck by an insane fear of losing you.
If I lose you…
I don’t want to think about what I’ll do.
That’s why I rid of my mind of such idea
And I wait impatiently
For night to come
So that I can dream about you.
If I dream about you…
At the first light of the new dawn
I enjoy playing the game of imaging you.
If I imagine you…
by Betty Sánchez
Translation by Jim Michaels
===================
6. IF I THOUGHT MY HEART WAS NOTHING
A Valentine for my Rosa America
by John Martinez
If I thought
My heart was nothing
But a woven
Basket of arteries,
Expanding
Flesh,
I’d let it sleep
By itself in the rain,
I’d stand before
An animal
And watch its nose
Flare, The smell
Of my heart
Is only a meal,
If I thought
My heart was nothing
If I thought
My heart was nothing
But a measure
Of my organs,
How they will
Weigh them,
Each one
Placed apart,
Like a Butcher
Counts
His product,
Like a Doctor
Calculates time
By touch,
I’d render myself
Soulless,
Walk a field
Like a corpse
Wound up to move
A distance
I’d love no one
But blood travels
The distance,
So that I could
Touch you,
Elevates my skin
So that your
Sleeping
Body
Dreams with mine,
Sends God
To my head,
Where we ponder
Our own existence,
Until I see
Another
No, my heart is
Something, a whirlwind
Of ghosts, perhaps,
A tangling
Of galaxies,
A message to all,
But most of all,
My heart belongs
To you
======================
7. COMPASS
by Sylvia Maltzman
In spite of all the rough edges,
the fragments of our lives,
those pieces of each other’s puzzle
fit together without much nudging
.
The keys to each other’s
mysteries
slide into
the spaces we take for locks,
but these click open
for one another
tumbling into place
without struggle, without lock-ease
Why do we stray?
Why do we each cry out
for exotic glue
when or members link so snugly together?
Why do we ache
for strange polarities
when the magnetism of our mettle
finds its north and south
in us?
.
Has the compass needle ever truly wandered?
When you hold the little disk flat and true,
hasn’t north and south
always been
me and you?
. ======================
8. Extracto de esencia / The Extraction of Essence”
by Claudia D. Hernández
Extracto de esencia
Quisiera
Deshabitarte
De tu cuerpo
Arrancarte
El alma
Entera/
Tragarme
Tu corazón
A manotazos;
Besar y
Respirar
Tus pensamientos—
Para así
Ahogarme
En tu tristeza.
Solo así sabré
Que para siempre
Serás mío:
Mío, solo mío.
Dulce animal
Que me carcome
Mis entrañas,
Lentamente.
* * * * * *
The extraction of essence
I want to
Dislodge
You from
Your body,
Consume
Your entire
Soul/
Eat your
Heart out
by handfuls;
Kiss and
Breathe
Your thoughts—
So that I may
Drown in your
Melancholia.
Only in
This manner
Will I know
That you
Will always
Be mine:
Only mine.
Sweet animal
Who eats
Away at
My insides,
Softly.
English translation by:
José Hernández Díaz
======================
9. Family Tree
by Raul Sanchez
planted a maple tree
in the backyard
of the old blue house.One misty Monday morning
he held my hand and walked
the lengthy backyard
to find the spot, the perfect spot
for the tree to grow,
to unravel his branches.The years passed as I grew up along
with the young seedling.
At age eight the tree had one strong branch
where dad hung the swing
the same swing in which
I used to look up to the sky
chasing clouds, chasing the wind
with every pump of my feet.The tree got bigger than expected
the trunk thicker and my father
grew older and weaker.
Many branches sprouted
and more children including mine
have swung from the faithful
maple tree. My father is gone.
The tree remains as the witness
of his tender love sheltered under his
shade we sing and dance, remembering
past seasons and plant new seedlings
from our family tree.
==========================
10. feeling like Neruda
by Tara Evonne Trudell
me
and the poet
teaching
each other
our way
touching
with words
trading poetry
hot
off the heart
me feeling
like Neruda
offering his soul
to Matilde
spoken thoughts
tokens of love
I stood
so still
just to feel
his words
have their way
with me.
tara evonne trudell c/s enero 7, 2012
====================
11. Growing My Love
by Elena Díaz Bjorkquist ©2011
I feel my heart opening today
Showing my love to others
Feeling closer by expressing
Deep, sincere affection
Telling each how much I care
Strengthening our connection
Making our relationship
Much more precious
A shimmering golden light
Emanates from my heart
Growing with each breath
Encompassing all of me
Opening my heart
Allowing me to give, receive
Boundless love, bathing me
In stronger, loving relationships
I am receptive to the warmth
That surrounds me
Open to the energy
That helps me give of myself
I give and receive love equally
Making my love for others true
Letting unconditional love grow
From the center of my heart today
=============================
12. LOVE GANG
by Tara Evonne Trudell
me and my girls
we give easy
trading feelings
strong loving
not afraid
to surface
in a society
made up
Valentine rules
of shoulds
coulds
and never do’s
me and my girls
we trade stories
wipe tears
curse the bastards
caress the lovers
and share
oatmeal
me and my girls
don’t judge
we don’t mislead
and we don’t pretend
that loving
doesn’t matter
to us
all feeling
our sighs
sensual
and true
weathering
lovers
every storm
creating
a new rainbow
to follow
me and my girls
we fall down
in battle
letting life
take the worse
us holding on
to what’s left
making the best
of love
we rise
in connectedness
our woman spirit
soul sister sharing
our scars
tattoos
smiles
curvatures
keeping us
real
me and my girls
not afraid
to throw out
heart signs
teaching our babies
that loving
is right
never wrong
when growing
from within.
tara evonne trudell c/s enero 8, 2012
for the sisters c/s
==================
13. LOVE LINGERS
by Abel Salas
Love lingers in the snow
on a knuckle burn scrape
that leaves the barest shred
of skin on the glistening ice.
It walks through empanada
dreams and carved pumpkin
laughter. Grows in furtive
Christmas fondles and
covert kisses under cover
of mountain darkness
before daybreak. Love
sinks new roots into the
earth like tomorrow bulbs
in a cascade of middle-aged
desire and imagine that
again like post-pubescent
longing that recoils and
runs because to love is
to fear and finally there
is no escaping the crushed
velvet hold love has on
your heart, on your tongue
with words that won’t
say enough or looks that
say too much while love
radiates and blesses the
moon with light from other
unstoppable suns or the
leonine shudder in those
long locks where you lose
yourself in the becoming
in the light that spirals
inward and explodes in
a Folsom Street smile like
the one love noticed at a
Mariachi Plaza celebration
when Santa Cecilia watched
with abandon and a wanton
streak of joy like a herald of
new dawn and love that
comes from the clouds or
races through New Hampshire
memories of prep school privilege
or red brick buildings with iron
accents and adolescent angst
that could not have foretold
a quiet unmistakable love
that lingers in the snow
======================
14. MARINERS
by Sylvia Maltzman
is there no native land
to claim our births
no port whose fruit
whose wine we long to quaff
is there no clock whose hands embrace our lifespan
now that you have covered me
with the kisses of your mouth
and your breathing stirs my blood
enriching every cell
with a clean draught sweet and moving
two mariners who’ve long navigated
the narrow strait
we lie entwined
two slumbering in a hammock
or fish entangled in a net
wishing for but not expecting home to appear
on this or that horizon
a shimmering vision of gold streets
as such there is only one tree
shedding fruit for us both
we savor it
in the wind filling our sails
propelling us in anticipation of the juice
which will run down our lips
every exile knows
the taste of
his native land
====================
15. PLENITUD
by Betty Sánchez
Desde que lo conozco
deshojo margaritas…
Me quiere, no me quiere,
me quiere, no me quiere,
me quiere, si, me ama,
me lo repite a diario infinidad de veces,
con besos inventados
y con otros mil veces practicados,
con ardientes caricias,
y miradas colmadas de ternura.
Me ama sin reservas,
me acepta tal cual soy,
sin dudas, recelos, ni temores;
no inquiere en mi pasado
y debido a ese hecho
lo mismo que fugaces golondrinas
mis recuerdos de ayer se han esfumado.
Mis labios hoy solo reconocen
el sabor de su boca,
en mi piel solo se hallan
las huellas de sus manos,
mis ojos solo brillan
al reflejar su imagen,
mis sentidos solo responden
al timbre de su voz y de su risa.
Temporalmente la muerte me ha ignorado,
me ha otorgado permiso
para que saboreé el placer exquisito
que este amor me provoca;
un amor pleno en el cual
se satisfacen todos mis anhelos,
un amor que se transforma en remanso de paz
en mis días negros,
un amor que me busca y me encuentra
cuando ando extraviada
en las noches oscuras de la angustia,
un amor que me hace reír
mientras estoy llorando,
un amor que me invita a vivir
cuando me estoy muriendo.
22 de Enero del 2012
===================
16. Smoke Shadows
by Raul Sanchez
Behind the street light glimmer
I have been talking to the shadows
behind the swirls my cigarette smoke leaves
on high pale walls when I inhale nicotine fresh
rushing into my blood stream my brain
triggers-awakens the memory of you,
your perfume, your silken clothes,
your red lips, your seamed stockings, your—
beautiful shoes your hats, purses, earrings,
handkerchiefs, gloves.
Every night I sit on this bed remembering you,
waiting for you, wanting you, desiring you
but you are no longer here.
Your perfumed clothes hang in the closet
wide, filled to the top, nothing touched,
nothing moved, not a thing touched,
not a thing moved but seen by the eyes
that saw you, smelled by the nose
that smelled you, touched by the hands
that loved you.
Your hand-written notes,
cursive words not seen these days.
Sonnets of love written at the beginning
and end of each season.
Since you’ve been gone
it has been an eternal winter—
without you, all I can wish for is
a comfortable quiet death
so that I can join you in the meadow
of my dreams and in the shadows of my smoke.
========================
17. The Shelter of Your Chest
By Raul Sanchez
Guard my backside from the thin knives
of their dreary eyes
guard me between azaleas and marigolds
guard me between wood and musk
in your misty meadow
guard me, between the roots of cedar and maple
in your snow covered mountains
guard me burrowed in the wet sand
ocean waves brush
guard me between twilight and the early light
between mist and rain, thunder and storm
in the rainbow, guard me between azure and purple
guard me between the sheets of your bed
tucked in like balled socks
guard me from disdain
guard me::
guard me inside, outside,
over, under and beside you.
Let us guard each other from the fallible
keep the torchlight on, raise your red rose
I am your warrior.
=========================
18. The Wind with You
by Tara Evonne Trudell
I want to brace myself
in the wind with you
hair flying
hearts pounding
as we stand
together taking
the full force
of natural gusts
I want to walk with you
through desert sands
looking for signs
of life and love
heart shaped rocks
leading our way
marking the areas
of discovery
souls claiming
wide open spaces
I want to feel
your pulse
beat against
my soaring heart
in the shine
of moonlight
me finding
your brown skin
warm in the dark
I want to trace myself
into you.
tara evonne trudell c/s diciembre 28,2011
==========================
19. THINGS I WANT YOU TO TEACH ME
by Sylvia Maltzman
.
to feel the fingers of the wind in my hair
without being blown awry
.
to ride a wild horse
grasping its dark mane bareback
and not be thrown
.
to dance in fire naked
believing in the heat
and not be singed
.
to plunge headfirst into the surging surf
of salt meringue
and not drown
.
and then
.
to sustain the height these fragile wings
have gained
and land without being crushed
by the velocity of my own flight
======================
20. THIRTY-SIX VALENTINES
(For Lucía)
by Joe Navarro
When I hold you now
(Which I have for 36 years),
And look into your eyes, and
When I taste the scent of your kiss,
I feel the sensation as when I first
Caught sight of that young fine
Chicana, that beautiful jarocha
Who (unknowingly) took my
Heart and my breath.
You, that young scholar, who
Challenged the injustices of the
World. A super-Chicana. You, the
Femenista, a threat to testosterone
Measured ideas. You caught my
Imagination along with my heart.
You, my novia, my esposa,
And my vieja…and I mean that
With cariño, you know…my lifelong
Best friend and partner. You know,
We agreed to grow old together. You
Know I’m talking about you, Lucía.
My best friend, to hold and love,
And my partner…y a veces
My sparring partner, as we’ve wrestled
Over roles and attitudes in this lifelong
Friendship. Love, cariño, compromise,
Empathy, caring, compromise, devotion,
Compassion, compromise, patience, passion
and more compromise…those are the
ingredients to a lifelong love life. And
That’s why we are celebrating
St. Valentine’s Day for the thirty-sixth
Time together. Te quiero mucho.
==========================
21. “Violet Dreams / Sueños Violetas”
by José Hernández Díaz
Every morning,
When I wake-up
Pressed against
Your warm chest—
Intertwined with
Your leaf-like limbs—
I kiss your
Freckled cheeks,
Softly,
So that you may
Remain in violet dreams;
I consider it a blessing.
Every afternoon,
When you call
Me during your
Lunch hour
To recite you
A poem,
I climb each
Wave-like syllable
Landing upon
The shores of
Your lilac heart;
I consider it a blessing.
Every night,
When we share
A cigarette
On the porch
With the moon,
You hide your
Pale palms
Inside the depths
Of my pockets;
I consider it a blessing.
* * * * * *
Sueños Violetas
Todas las mañanas,
cuando me despierto
presionado contra
tu pecho tibio—
entrelazado con tus
alas de hojas—
te beso las
mejillas pecosas,
suavemente,
para que permanezcas
en sueños violetas;
Lo considero una bendición.
Todas las tardes,
cuando me llamas
durante tu hora
de almuerzo
para que te recite
un poema,
subo cada sílaba
como ola y desciendo
en la marea
de tu corazón
de lilas;
Lo considero una bendición.
Todas las noches,
cuando compartimos
un cigarrillo
en el porche
bajo la luna,
escondes tus
pálidas palmas
dentro de lo profundo
de mis bolsillos;
Lo considero una bendición.
Spanish translation by:
Claudia D. Hernández
======================
22. Why I Love You
(for Lucía)
by Joe Navarro
You are the voice
That soothes my heart
You are the breath
That fills my lungs
You are the smile
That calms my fears
Your presence captivates
My soul
Your thoughts transcend
My own
You are part of me
Outside and in
You give me the strength
To go ahead
Advancing through
The coldness of an era
You and I
Are invincible
In a society
That searches for
Our vulnerability
You are a mountain
Of pride
A sky of conviction
You are nobility
In a humble sense
You are the woman
Of my dreams
Of you I dream
Every day
====================
23. “A L W A Y S . . .”
by Victoria Hovda
February 14th. is today!
What does that mean?? I heard someone say.
A day to celebrate Love, Love to Celebrate!
Love between Lovers, and Friends…
And as I Celebrate my new Friends!
Thankfully rejoicing in the present,
I am also sadly, thinking, reminiscing,
about the friends I used to have…
February 14th. is today,
and I wanted you to know
that I am thinking about YOU,
and about all the good times we shared.
In a lifetime friendships come, and friendships go,
but in my Heart, yours, holds a special place.
Oh, I’m not really sad, I just kind of wish
things between us were still the same…
How do friends grow apart anyway?
Is it a change of heart? …too busy?
True and lasting relationships require effort,
perhaps even laziness gets in the way…
Could it be a disagreement? a different point of view?
A misunderstanding, too hard to say I’m sorry?
too rigid to forget… not so easy to say,
let’s give this friendship thing, another chance…
Some friends die too soon! Some move far away.
Distances grow, interests change, feelings subside,
and all that is left, is the lingering memory
of a Beautiful Friendship, once upon a time…
February 14th. is today, another day going by…
A reminder of another broken promise,
to call, to get together, to revive a dying friendship,
to try and stay connected! no matter if, or what…
But even if I never speak to you again,
I wanted you to know, that on such Special Day,
I am thinking about you, that I miss you!
That I will always treasure you as my very Dear Friend!
That when I wish to see you, all I have to do
is close my eyes and I can see your smile once again.
That I will never forget you and your kindness.
That I truly Love You! and that I always will!!
That’s a promise! and ‘ALWAYS’ is my middle name…
Friendship Love is a Gift… IT IS A Sacred Thing!
The gift you gave to me, will stay with me! until the end…
The Gift of True Love goes beyond the mind, beyond the flesh,
and beyond all the idiosyncrasies of the Human Race.
Our bodies will most certainly die some day,
but The Poetry of Our Spirits Will Live Forever!!
and perhaps, just perhaps… We, will meet again.
VICTORIA Pérez- Hovda
AKA: Vicky
February 14, 2006
==========================================
24. “TWO HEARTS / DOS CORAZONES”
by Victoria Hovda
Two Hearts, any place, any time
Oblivious, to the past, to the future
and to the world around…
Two Hearts, into each other
Yearning, seeking, loving,
Beating only for this moment, as One
Two Hearts, at the beat of one drum
Wrapped up in a whisper, a plea
I love you so, please be mine!
Two Hearts, like a melody
A thousand kisses deep
Longing to be sung!
Two Hearts, Two Hearts
Any place, any time!
Two Hearts, Yours, and Mine…
Victoria Hovda 2005
Dos Corazones,
en cualquier parte, en cualquier lugar,
Insensibles al pasado ó al futuro,
Inconscientes a todo el mundo.
Dos Corazones, Deseándose!
Buscándose! Amándose! el uno al otro…
Latiéndo, por éste instante! como UNO solo…
Dos Corazones, al paso del mismo compás,
Entregados en una plegaria, en un suspiro
Te Amo tanto! Te ruego, Sé Mío…
Dos Corazones… Como una Melodía,
Intensidad de Mil Besos atrapada,
Anhelando con ansia ser cantada!
y así ser liberada…
Dos Corazones… Dos Corazones!
cualquier parte, cualquier lugar…
Dos Corazones… El Tuyo, y el Mío…
Victoria Hovda 2011
===============================
25. love in a cynical world
by Victor Avila
in august twilight
the dark laments
for sorrow’s tears
are now spent.
they appear but leave
to the heart’s delight,
felicitous aurora-
proximity’s might.
=======================
26. Blessed
by Andrea Hernandez Holm © 2012
My small hand fits right inside my dad’s hand.
I listen as he tells me, pointing to the sky
About the rabbit in the moon.
The rabbit in the moon
Watches over us always. All the time,
For a long, long time. He tells me.
And I remember this much later.
When we dance below the moon
On our wedding night.
On your wedding night
The ancestors will come out
In droves. He tells me.
The ancestors will dance
All together in the night sky.
In celebration of your love.
And I remember this
Every time the moon waxes.
Every time you hold me close.
Every time, all the time, always
Ours is a love to celebrate.
27. LOVE PRAYER
by Francisco X. Alarcón
| may love | may love | may love |
| surprise us | came to us | move us |
| unexpectedly | as sweet air | to love others |
| speedily like | smelling | as we love |
| a shooting star | our beloved’s | ourselves and |
| in the night sky | silky hair | those who love us |
| reminding us | igniting | taking actions |
| we are never | the embers | for the poorest |
| ever alone | of a long fire | the neediest |
| even when | filling life | rewarding us |
| we are alone | with warmth | with even more |
| feeling lonesome | joy and light | overflowing love |
PLEGARIA DE AMOR
por Francisco X. Alarcón
| que el amor | que el amor | que el amor | |
| nos sorprenda | venga a nosotros | nos mueva a amar | |
| sin previo aviso | como dulce aire | a otros asíu | |
| veloz como | oliendo | como nos amamos | |
| estrella fugaz | el cabello sedoso | a nosotros mismos | |
| en la oscuridad | de nuestro amor | y a los que nos aman | |
| recordándonos | encendiendo | tomando acciones | |
| que nunca jamás | las brasas de | por los más pobres | |
| estamos solos | su viejo fulgor | los más necesitados | |
| aun cuando | llenándonos | concediéndonos | |
| estamos solos | la vida con luz | aún más amor | |
| sintiéndonos solos | calor y alegría | sobrecogedor | |
© Francisco X. Alarcón
5 de febrero de 2012
==========================
28. love says
by Tara Evonne Trudell
how do I say
when I feel
love
is kind
and wonderful
heavy and alone
a cold breath
escaping heat
creating steam
exhaling
love
a whisper
across distances
traveling by breezes
creating weather
love
a feeling
of touch remembering
palms pressed
together
warm skin rubbing
love
a sensation
deep and swirling
flowing over heart
ache energy
love
how do I feel
when I say
love is
the heavy kind
of wonderful
alone
tara evonne trudell c/s february 4, 2012
===================
29. Four Letters
by Raul Sanchez
Love like strawberries cut in half,
Fragrant as lavender fields
Warm as the sun rays
Subtle like ocean breeze
Comforting like a woolen blanket
Soft as silk
Thunderous as summer storms
Tender as baby breath
Passionate as a bull in the ring
Hot as spicy food
Sweet as maple syrup
Love are the words in the air
Not the chocolates in the box
or a Hallmark card
but in our eyes, our breath
our touch.
=========================
30. A Thousand Kisses Deep
by Kaitlin Meadows
The day we ate umber pears
Soaked in ruby port
And the cold game hen
With a delicate salad
Of nuts and cheese
On our honeymoon
In Ireland,
We flaunted the world’s calamities
And trusted that our own tragedies
Were, finally, in remission.
Me, an old brown almond husk,
Weathered and ruddy shelled,
Hiding cream inside.
You, a speckled lark,
Darting under
Cobbled Galway bridges
Where we stole kisses,
Like laughing school children.
Our love was
A shedding of skins,
A wriggling out of cocoons.
Our longing was
An opening of casks
Where a heady wine brewed.
Together we learned to feast,
Unashamed,
Hungry and imprudent,
Our appetites unbridled,
Holding nothing back
For later,
Saving not a penny
Of our good fortune
For a rainy day.
Each day was a celebration
Of mysterious junctures,
Random intersects,
The quicksilver swale of
Moon light
Left in the wake
Of our life raft
As it pulled into
The safe harbor
Of our dreams.
Our marriage is a miracle of
Simple daily acts illuminated
By shared glints and flashes,
Like fire light
Refracted in the chambered
Amber eye
Of the old barn owl
Who lives in the wrecked barn
Where sun splashes through
The broken roof
Onto a sweet maw
Of old hay
Where we curl together
Murmuring forever,
“I love you,
I love you,”
Sweet and true,
Every day we have left,
A thousand kisses deep.
===================
31. Love
by Luis Alberto Urrea
Love the awkward.
Love the marginalized.
Love the lonely.
Love the ugly.
Love the forgotten.
Love the wounded.
Love the weary.
Sing for the silenced,
for our journey takes us all
to the same dawning.
Let’s not go alone.
====================
32. Poem 23 ~ Ojalá
by Odilia Galván Rodríguez
midday
mediodía
unbearable the heat
el calor insoportable
lament
lament[o]
odiar [el] calor
then wish it in winter
desearlo en el invierno
my soul
alma[s]
mi corazón
our heart-soul, trenzadós
como raíces profundas
brotan
burst forth
from the bubble
buscando la verdad
de tantos sueños mañosos ~
sanó
wholly
healed the lies, from
veiled eyes of a lifetime
finalmente se ve la luz
we See
=======================
33. Poem 24 ~ Belonging to nine
by Odilia Galván Rodríguez
your heart
fell in love ~~ with ~~
my heart, you are not mine
you belong to nine … saturn … moons …
shining
=====================
34. Flower Sun
By Nancy Aidé González
The sun rises
illuminating
rays of light
scattering
North
South
East
West.
Round celestial
ball of fire
emanating
energy,
dissipative light
bringing
clarity
awareness
enlightenment,
banishing darkness.
We are flowers
with long tangled roots
burrowed deep into the
lush dark
fertile soil.
Our white petals
burst from
bud
blossoming
into
fragile beauty
self awareness,
harmony,
alignment,
our spirits
luxuriant,
flourishing
under the
sunlight.
Our flowering
souls transforming
through love
peace
balance
truth
harmony .
We are flowers
our faces
looking
upward,
our petaled arms
extended
our green
bodied
stems erect,
supple veined
leaves
out stretched,
our hearts
healing,
filled with
spouting
hopes and
dreams,
finding redemption
in ancient
ways ,
creating new
seeds.
Flowering
shining
new sun,
germinating
life.
========================
35. Your Love
by Nancy Aidé González
Your love can
be found
in the dinners
you prepare for
me each night.
Each spice
sprinkled
with care,
each vegetable
chopped precisely,
each ingredient
thoughtfully
chosen to
enhance flavor,
each sauce simmered
and coaxed into perfection,
every meat marinated in affection.
I taste your love
in each fork full
of dinner
and
it fills
my
soul.
================
36. LOVE IS LOVE
by Francisco X. Alarcón
all love IS love
and deserves all rights
under starry nights
AMOR ES AMOR
todo amor ES amor
y merece todo derecho
en noches de fulgor
© Francisco X. Alarcón
in celebration of the 9th Circuit ruling
Proposition 8 unconstitutional
San Francisco, CA, February 7, 2012
==========================
37. SI ESTUVIÉRAMOS SOLOS…
Si estuviéramos solos…
Desnudos de convencionalismos
Musitaría en tu oído
Mis callados antojos
Pronunciando palabras
Locas y apasionadas
Que te hicieran vibrar
Y trazaría en tu espalda
Con labios impacientes
Tu nombre
Entrelazado al mío.
Si estuviéramos solos…
Libres de perjuicios sociales
Como ave migratoria
De norte a sur
Recorrería tu cuerpo
Con ardientes caricias
Hasta completar
Mi osada travesía.
Si estuviéramos solos…
Despojados de toda hipocresía
De manera discreta
Te llevaría a mi alcoba
Y en sábanas de raso
Te enseñaría con presta diligencia
A conjugar el verbo amar
En la primera persona del singular
Y a disfrutar del placer
Que conlleva
Hacerlo sin temores
Sin recato
Sin límite o reservas
Un amor sin final.
Betty Sánchez
7 de Febrero del 2012.
