Dear World,
Dear IxChel,
Dear Quetzalcoatl,                      October 23, 2015

We are becoming a
world of refugees,
immigrants, following the
ancient human trade

routes, not guided by
dreams this time, but
guided by poverty, war,
simple hunger, the

fierce desire that our
children survive us,
we follow that fierce
instinct over man made

borders, Madre Africa,
our Human Womb, dreams
her children in drought,
flood, tidal wave, hunger, 

war. See that Mexican
mother, baby in her arms,
older children surrounding
her, she is your

mother. See that Syrian
father, clutching his toddler,
wife lost at sea, he
is your father. See

that Congolese grandmother
starving, tortured, her
sons gone to war, rape,
she is your grandmother.

See that Guatemalan
grandfather weeping, watching
his 12 year old granddaughter
raped, los coyotes,

journey to the USA, safety,
land of daily food, he
is your grandfather.
See the five year old trying

to sleep with hunger, Land
Of Plenty USA, one in four
children hungry, she
is your child.

See the teens at Rikers
Island thousands, millions
in adult prisons USA,
at Rikers their once a day

outdoors, hour at 
dawn, rain, sun, snow,
in a cage, shackled,
solitary for months,

the teenage brain/mind/spirit,
the time of unfolding,
crushed, human promise
murdered, these are your

teens, these are your
teens, these are your
teens, these are our
teens, murdered promise.

See us all fiercely crossing
borders, the ancient 
human trade routes,
survival. Wherever

you are
welcome
your family
home. 

**The USA has the largest, for profit,
prison system in the world. At Rikers Island
the majority of teens are held for years, waiting 
for a 'court date,' as families cannot post their
bail.  Google Kalief Browder, who refused to 
plead guilty- the usual way out of Rikers- he 
refused, that immense courage. 

Alma Luz Villanueva (c)
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
(My 'Dear World' poems are in their
20th year, where I bitch, moan, praise.)
They can be found in my books, most 
recently, 'GRACIAS.' 
www.almaluzvillanueva.com

La Frida Kahlo's VIVA LA VIDA...

Mexico City, bike taxi...then to Frida's casita, where her Spirit lives, her laughter.

  

QUERIDO POPOCATEPTL

The villagers call you 
father, brother, uncle, son-
I call you lover, my
ancient lover- flying in
to Mexico City I saw
your snowy peak, you
didn't fool me, I felt
the heat of your body,
your lava, your core,
your longing for my
touch, ancient lover,
the Earth danced beneath 
my feet, our Mother, la
Madre, she knew nothing
could keep me from you,
your body, your lava,
your core, the ancient
memory of our union.
I dream your body, gift from Earth,
Sun, Moon, every Star, I see
your molten eyes, your molten mouth,
your molten hands, your molten sex, lava
bright, meteor bright, first eruption,
genesis of our longing, I am coming,
wait for me, I am dreaming,
wait for me, I am singing,
wait for me, I am dying
to receive. Your burning
body. Lava. 

Alma Luz Villanueva (c)
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
April 2012

*Two weeks after la Madre's dance, Popocateptl began to sing to his lover, Iztaccihuatl, fire and ash.

This poema is from my just published book, 'GRACIAS,' which can be found on www.amazon.com   Just enter my name and all of my books pop up- also, my 4th novel, 'SONG OF THE GOLDEN SCORPION,' published last year is also listed. I love the personal emails I receive, but feel free to comment here as well- wishing you a beautiful Spring wherever you are.

THE WORLD IS FULL OF SIGNS

"The stars are like letters that inscribe
themselves at every moment in the sky.
Everything in this world is full of signs.
All events are coordinated. All things 
depend on each other. Everything 
breathes together."  Greek philosopher, Plotinus

THE WORLD IS FULL OF SIGNS

"I can't breathe,
I can't breathe,
I can't breathe,
I can't breathe,"

Eric Garner's last
breath, words,
words, breath,
father, husband, son

no longer breathes
no longer breathes
no longer breathes
or speaks or laughs

or calls his children's
names or sings his
favorite songs in the 
shower, or speaks

softly to his wife
or laughs with her
or argues with her,
his breath is gone,

his words are gone,
his mother's memory,
first breath,
first words,

yes, everything breathes
together, all things depend on
each other, all events are 
coordinated, everything in the

world is full of signs,
and we can't breathe,
we can't breathe, we
can't breathe, we

can't breathe
freely, the stars are like
letters that inscribe themselves
at every moment in the sky,

we can't breathe
freely, we can't,
everything, every thing
breathes, yes, breathes

together.


Eric Garner murdered in an illegal
chokehold, July 12, 2014. 
**Mike Brown, 18- Tamir Rice, 12- 
Trayvon Martin, 17...all unarmed

Alma Luz Villanueva (c)
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
December 2014
Everything breathes together...

 

HANDS

I've arrived, the peak
of my life, so many
hands have carried me
here, loving hands,

brutal hands,
soothing hands,
stinging hands,
healing hands,

the hands that caught
my four children emerging
from my pulsing vulva,
the hands that sang

to every inch of my
body, the hands I
shielded myself from,
fought back,

my warrior hands,
my mother hands,
my lover hands,
my daily hands,

these blessed hands
that care for me
without question,
without reward,

these hands that
love me,
these hands that
feed me,

these hands that
bathe me,
these hands that
dream me whole

nightly, daily,
I kiss each
hand, left and
right, these

hands that guide
my way into this
wondrous world, this
terrible world, this

loving world, this
killing world, this
exquisite world of
so many 

hands, this
moment I
kiss each
one.

*On tripping, hair line fracture, 
my precious right hand I'm 
writing this poem with, my 
fingers taped together, still 
able to move, write, type for
short periods but getting better.
And on turning 7+0... esta vida.

Alma Luz Villanueva (c)
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

GRACIAS for the private emails, 
feel free to post here, add a poem
if la spirit moves you. Now, pause
to kiss both of your beloved hands.

Below photo, giving La Finger in the best, most loving way- Barcelona, 10/14...Vampire Girl behind me made me do it.

SCAFFOLDS OF (YOUR) VISION

Gracias, Gaudi,
your dreams,
your vision,
your vow

of poverty
to create
such richness,
the humble greatness

of your Spirit
flows, pierces
all humanity,
all gods, goddesses,

all names,
same source,
Great Spirit,
all mountains,

forests, creeks, rivers,
sacred lakes,
sacred seas,
sacred trees

breathing air,
bearing fruit,
sacred fields,
our Mother's body

feeds us, you, us,
marries Earth/Sky,
Sun/Moon,
Winter/Spring,

love/hate/love
dreaming us, Her
Womb, this 
sacred beauty

you created 
for us, I
hear your
sweet laughter,

your life
well spent
in riches,
fever of

dreams, voice,
song, your
daily heart,
young men

still climb the
scaffolds of
your vision,
laughing as

they build
your dream,
sacred sunlight,
well muscled,

pregnant women,
running children, 
those in wheel
chairs, we

enter your
sunlight stained
glass rainbow
dream womb

Earth Sky
dream, I hear
your daily heart
alive, undying,

your sweet 
laughter, tears,
surprise, last
breath, the streets,

metal trolley, your body,
dead, dream, daily heart
undying laughter/vision/light,
gracias, Gaudi. Gracias. 

Barcelona, Spain...October 2014
Alma Luz Villanueva (c)

WISDOM

A child was sliced in
half in Palestine, I
saw the photo, wondering 
if he could be put back

together, I wanted more
than anything to put 
him back together, his
four year old head, torso,

his still baby-like 
legs, bare feet, curled
as though to spring to
life, laughing at any

moment, the bloody
torso, the bloody
baby-like legs, bare
feet, his mother will

not ever hear the sweet
ring of his laughter,
from four to manhood,
his bitter tears unshed-

a child was sliced in
half in Palestine today,
among so many children,
the wisdom of Solomon

could not save him, no
love strong enough to 
say, yell, scream, "Here,
take him, let him

live, let him live whole,
intact, alive, do not
slice my beloved child
in half, let him

live!" Wisdom. 

To the children in Palestine,
the children crossing the USA
borders alone, being returned to
danger. Into the Sixth Sun...

Alma Luz Villanueva (c)  August 2014

CHILD

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