Alternative Fact #1984
She says the niños were not put in cages
The cages are the barrios
and pueblos they came from.
We give them food and place to sleep.
Looking
for you
in the shadows
of the world
including my own
you are
the elusive
whisper that
once
found
engulfs
me a spinning
haze of brightness
opaque truth
do not let go
until I scribble
my soul
on canvas
come to me
grant
me the moment
of clarity
your embrace
Spring
Daylight spreads
racing along the arc of the Earth
like Hermes delivering news of joy,
like curved lightning refusing to strike.
The heavens are in bloom.
There is no need to save daylight,
the sun hands it out in droves.
Leaves and skin soak the rays gleefully.
Pupils contract and adjust and reveal
a colorful world full of new shades.
The earth warms and incubates.
We, the living, grow,
in awe and wonder.
We embrace daylight like a nurturing blanket
that shields from the cold.
My Debt
I owe poems
I owe a poem to starless LA nights
To dead cockroaches on un-swept streets
To drunken fools on Monday nights
I owe poems to my family
I owe my mother a poem about sacrifice
My sister one of dedication
My grandmother one of memory
I owe humanity poems
I owe a poem about prejudice
About working together for everyone’s benefit
About our eventual extinction
I owe myself poems
I owe myself a poem of struggle
Of effort turning into skill
Of my meaning of life
I owe my love an infinite number of poems
I owe her 30 poems about the petals of blue roses
I owe her 1,000 poems describing her brilliance
I owe her 4,000,000 poems recounting the divine experience of her touch
I declare poetic bankruptcy
The hopes of an Aztec oracle when she learns of the conquistadors
May their weapons proclaim mutiny
and dive into the sea.
May the sea open up
and crash upon them as they
see their destination.
May the gods use conquistador sails
as targets for lightning bolts.
May their Spanish blood become
the gold they seek.
May their souls corrode and crumble like
aged adobe.
May they never take to the sea again.
Gustavo Barahona-López is a poet from the San Francisco Bay Area. In his writing, Barahona-López draws from his experience growing up in a Mexican immigrant household. His work can be found or is forthcoming in Rattle’s Poets Respond, PALABRITAS, Cutthroat, Puerto del Sol and Unlost Journal. When Barahona-López is not in the classroom you can find him re-discovering the world with his son. His twitter handle is @TruthSinVerdad.