Dia de Los Locos/Locas, San Miguel
January 1, 1970
Today as I waited for the garbage truck to arrive, always announced by some great ranchera music, I heard the music, grabbed my garbage bag and opened the door to a huge crowd of kids, parents, all in Loco/Loca costume, dancing up the street. The kids threw candy at us, the onlookers, and some little guys ran up to give me a handful personally. As I live in the San Antonio Colonia where Los Loco/as originate, I've been invited to join in, but will be crossing the ancient trade route (MEXICO/USA human made border)to teach in el cuidad de Los Angeles, but I will try in earnest to be a Loca anyway. Those smiles, laughter, dancing, very loud salsa music will make the crossing even easier- even when they 'welcome me back to my country'...In my next book of poetry, SOFT CHAOS, it opens with a quote by Virginia Woolf: 'As a woman I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman the whole world is my country.' And so, on June 17th, Dia de Los Loco/as, try dancing down the street in costume with your friends/family, throwing candy as you go... CHISPAS y TONGLEN (Chispas- sparks, fire, joy) Almaluz(From the Dear World poetry series, in its 12th year)-
Dear World, March 24, 1996
18,400 years ago, this comet
we call (in 1996) Hyakutake
came close to the Earth (ten million
miles away, ten million); and we
can see it with the naked
eye, floating in the sky like
a tail of light. The last
time it came within ten million
miles, humans were just crossing
the terrible, icy glaciers,
the Bering Strait, into this
land mass, North America, one
of the floating, enduring Turtles.
The Turtles whispered, "Leap of
faith, dream, leap of faith, dream,"
as the comet edged its way
ten million miles, so close. 18,400
years later, the Turtles whisper,
"Leap of faith, one planet, leap
of faith, one people." This planet
floating through the stars, comets
coming home to sing to the Turtles:
"Cross the terrible, icy glaciers,
the human heart, leap."
(In DESIRE- and in the wonderful anthology 'PRAYERS FOR A THOUSAND YEARS...Inspiration From Leaders & Visionaries Around The World'- given to world leaders at the United Nations in early 2000.)