Tony Aldarondo
Latinos
Latinosssss!!!!
Latinos are the colors of the rainbow…
I said the rainbow yo…
Latinos are blancito, negrito, triguenito and afaro…
Afrolistic! Realistic! Simplistic!
Always mystic!
Always real…really real…
Sometimes too real!
Always told…we love to steal…
So some latinos…become angered!
So angry and angered…
Some become…
Endangered!
Or mis-informed...
Un-informed…
Then uniformed...
Into the penitentiary…
Right into the next century…
Some mis-informed
Un-informed...
Then uniformed
Into the war…
turned into uncle sam's whore…
Latinos...
I can’t take it no more…
I said the u.s. military!
Where we're first
On the front lines…
First to die…
Then…
We…have to bury…
Have you seen how many latino soldiers
are in your national cemetery?
We are used in the u.s.!
Abused in the u.s.!
Confused in the u.s.!
And told “we are less!”
In the u.s…
Come on system...confesss...
We have been infected!
Rejected!
Corrected!
And almost never…
Almost never…
Elected...
Yet always selected to
Clean, clean, clean, clean, clean
Those pissed on urinals…
And shitty stalls…
We are the latina nannies
That wipe the mielda
Out of el presidentes
Grandchildren’s draws…
Then kiss his ass…
To cut his grass…
For a visa pass…
Latinosss!!!
Latinos are runaway slaves
Runaway slaves
With eyes open wide
And
No place to hide…
Latinos risk their lives…
Risk their lives to reach the u.s.!
And
Can’t come…inside…
Latinos are young men
And women
Who serve this country
With pride…
We’re here, there—
And everywhere…
Tall, short, bald—
And even indio looking
With long hair….
Latinosss!!!
Latinos…
Can become what we dream
Can become what we dream…
If given a chance…
Latinos are stars…
Sports stars, movie stars-
And superstars like Celia Cruz!
Latinos—
Influence people—
Around el mundo
Like “orquesta de la luz!”
Latinos are-
United farm workers!
Teachers!...preachers!...
Activists!...poets!...
Your sisters and brothers!
From now until infinity—
We are you!
And you are we!
We’ll forever be—
In this country…
We’re all many branches
But one tree…
Straight, queer and l,g,b,t…
We spell latinos—
L.o.v.e…… latinosssssss!!!!
Previously printed in Civil Liberties United: Diverse Voices from the San Francisco Bay Area, Pease Press, 2019.
Reflection Questions:
Trace the emotional arc of this poem.
How does the ending circle back to the beginning.
How does the poet use language and rhythm.
