Child of the ancestors,
Goddess, Gods,
queens and kings,
child of dreaming,
myth, wisdom,
pyramids, stone by
stone,
child of visionary
poet kings,
Sor Juana,
child of storytellers
and singers, Octavio
Paz, Rosario Castellanos,
child of perfect
beauty, Frida Kahlo,
Diego Rivera, on the
500 peso bill,
child of Quetzalcoatl
and Xochiquetzal, la
madre Coatlique,
great IxChel,
child of Sun and
Moon, every Star,
born to Earth/Sky,
child in tattered clothing,
worn, dirty shoes,
toes exposed, trying to
sell a useless
coupon,
the shiny, abundant
super market, the
blonde woman shakes
her head in disgust,
you beg, eyes
pleading,
hunger, comfort, bath,
clean clothes, some
safety, even love, a
hawk-eyed teen
watches you,
bullies you,
not to stop
begging, pleading,
your useless
coupon,
your brown
dirty hand,
child of the ancestors,
would the great poet
king, Nezahualcoyotl,
sing a poem to
you, child of
despair and
hunger, filth,
your eyes still
shadowed with
innocence.
Alma Luz Villanueva (c)
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
May 2014
