"Those who have a memory are able to live in
the fragile present. Those with no memory
don't live anywhere." From the Chilean film,
'Longing For The Light.'
By chance, Sunday, the
plaza, dancers with rattles
on their ankles, rattles
in their hands, from
five to eighty years, dancing
in the wind, dancing
in the wind, the wind
loves them, the Sun
loves them, the Earth
loves them, the stones
beneath their praying feet
loves them, they stand in
a circle, two young men
climb the Christian cross,
making it their own,
making it beautiful,
plaza, dancers with rattles
on their ankles, rattles
in their hands, from
five to eighty years, dancing
in the wind, dancing
in the wind, the wind
loves them, the Sun
loves them, the Earth
loves them, the stones
beneath their praying feet
loves them, they stand in
a circle, two young men
climb the Christian cross,
making it their own,
making it beautiful,
making it ancient, these
Turtle Islands remember
them, these Turtle Islands
love them, sing to them,
to us, of Beauty,
of Beauty that never
ever dies, She will
survive us, the rattles
sing this, pray this,
sing, this ancient song
to Beauty- two young
women burn sweet copal,
circle the altar, the ancient
cross of Beauty, dancing,
swirling copal, dancing, swirling
the Sacred, and the Sacred
loves them, the Sacred
loves us, the Sacred
will survive us, the copal
burns, creating clouds of
memory, the two young women
dance this for us, to
remember, for us, to
remember- they stop,
still, conch shells to
their lips, call the
Spirit to the center of
the altar, to the center of
Beauty, to the center of
the Sacred, to the center of
our selves, to the center of
each other- I see they've
left a place for me
in the circle, a small
space, I fit, we
turn North, rattles,
the East, rattles,
the South, rattles,
the West, rattles,
singing praying singing,
and the wind loves us,
the Sun loves us,
the Earth loves us,
the Sacred loves us,
Beauty loves us,
conch shells to their
lips, Spirit loves us,
Spirit lives in us, oh
memory, this will survive
us, this will survive
us, this will survive
us, the rattles sing
to us, today, sudden
rainbows we are, oh
rattles, by chance.
And memory.
*To the Native dancers in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico,
this Turtle Island, all the Pueblos, who keep our Sacred
Earth spinning, dancing, so beautifully, on her axis, in this
time of shifting change. ONE PEOPLE, ONE PLANET...
OCCUPY our planet, the Sixth Sun begins to warm us all.
Alma Luz Villanueva
