“When we love ourselves, it’s a revolution.”—Morgan Parker One Heart by Li-Young Lee, from Book of My Nights (BOA, 2001) Look at the birds. Even flying is born out of nothing. The first sky is inside you, open at either end of day. The work of wings was always freedom, fastening one heart to every falling thing. Let’s Cut the Bullshit by Nicanor Parra, translated by Liz Werner, from Antipoems: How to Look Better & Feel Great (New Directions, 1985) In Chile we have never had democracy And never will. They are all dictatorships, my dear friend The only thing that we’re allowed Is to elect Between their dictatorship & ours Lenin was damn right: Go on being poor & honest, ‘ol pal Just don’t be an asshole 1 Claudia F. Saleeby Savage’s “Resilience: A Workshop Towards Sanity and Hope” In My Mother’s 1935 American College Dictionary by Joy Katz Between “holocaine” and “holocene,” I come upon “holocaust.” It sounds cross and bored, a child about to tantrum. “Pestilence. Locusts,” I read. The holocaust sits there making a noise like a bee-box. “From the Greek holokauston,” I read, “burnt offering.” Mad glare. “Wholesale destruction.” Chair-kicks. I decide to take the holocaust around the town where I live. See, that’s light, I tell the holocaust. There are plants growing. Whole yards, people, a calm world. From inside my jacket that swarming sound. I walk with the holocaust very carefully back to the car. I take it to see a movie with lots of violence, thinking the loud noise and blood will seem familiar. It goes into the bathroom and sets the towels on fire. Should I bring the holocaust home to show my mother? I do. She stops chopping onions for a moment. Don’t let it get too close to the curtains, she says. On the street the holocaust tramples the flowers, eyes some old trees hungrily. It is a terrible nuisance. I hold it and let it beat its arms against me. Hymn to Vatos Who Will Never Be in a Poem by Luis Alberto Urrea All the vatos sleeping in the hillsides All the vatos say goodnight forever All the vatos loving their menudo All the vatos faith in la tortilla All the vatos fearing the alarm clock All the vatos Wino Jefe Peewee All the vatos even the cabrones All the vatos down por vida homeboys All the vatos using words like ranfla All the vatos who woke up abandoned All the vatos not afraid of daughters All the vatos arms around their sisters All the vatos talking to their women All the vatos granting their forgiveness All the vatos plotting wicked paybacks All the vatos sleeping under mota All the vatos with tequilla visions All the vatos they call maricónes 2 Claudia F. Saleeby Savage’s “Resilience: A Workshop Towards Sanity and Hope” All the vatos bleeding in the alley All the vatos chased by helicopters All the vatos dissed by pinches white boys All the vatos bent to pick tomatoes All the vatos smoked by Agent Orange All the vatos brave in deadly classrooms All the vatos pacing in the prisons All the vatos pierced by needle lightning All the vatos who were once our fathers All the vatos even veteranos All the vatos and their abuelitos All the vatos proud of tatuajes All the vatos carrying a lunch pail All the vatos graduating law school All the vatos grown up to be curas All the vatos never been to misa All the vatos Jimmy Spider Tito All the vatos lost their tongues in Spanish All the vatos can't say shit in English All the vatos looking at her picture All the vatos making love all morning All the vatos stroking their own hunger All the vatos faded clear as windows All the vatos needing something better All the vatos bold in strange horizons All the vatos waiting for tomorrow All the vatos sure that no one loves them All the vatos sure that no one sees them All the vatos sure that no one hears them All the vatos never in a poem All the vatos told they don't belong here All the vatos beautiful young Aztecs All the vatos warrior Apaches 3 Claudia F. Saleeby Savage’s “Resilience: A Workshop Towards Sanity and Hope” All the vatos sons of Guadalupe All the vatos bad as la chingada All the vatos call themselves Chicanos All the vatos praying for their children All the vatos even all you feos All the vatos filled with life eternal All the vatos sacred as the Sun God All the vatos Flaco Pepe Gordo All the vatos rising from their mothers All you vatos you are not forgotten. Morgan Parker quote from the essay, “How to Stay Sane While Black”-- https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/20/opinion/sunday/how-to-stay-sane-while-black.html 4 Claudia F. Saleeby Savage’s “Resilience: A Workshop Towards Sanity and Hope” .