Al son
qué te toquen, baila.
Solía vivir
dando consejos--
mi amada abuela,
santa vieja,
madre
de mamá.
Al son
qué te toquen, ríe.
Con fe, pídele al cielo--
Sí la esperanza está
puesta sólo en Dios--
enfrentarás los desafíos
e vencerás
toda maldad.
Al son
qué te toquen, brilla.
Quel esplendor
de esa sonrisa
pura, amistosa
y tierna--
aullentara
la soledad.
Al son
qué te toquen, reza.
En los festines,
darle gracias por Su bendición.
O juntó a mí tumba--
qué humedecida quedará,
con tú lamento en duelo
y gritos de dolor.
Alaba igual al Señor,
porqué El--
contigo estará.
Take Fast vitamin D,
To get the head out of the water,
Stop the images process asks reason,
The images, in general, think of the TV, attack us,
One must know how to escape often,
To meditate in every possible silence,
In all the divine lights, enligthning lights,
Lights whose soul is strengthened, like a wild animal,
Let’s sort it out, get away,
We deserve the song of the rivers,
The song of mountains, thick forests,
That song where our voice echoes,
Above the valleys and busy men,
Above the dangerous chimes,
Deo gracias! Deo Gracias! Say these precious songs!
If I would have known you wouldn’t be here
I would have stopped worrying about the small stuff
I would have held you tighter and said “I love you “more often
If I would have known you wouldn’t be here
We would have had your celebration of life party a weekend earlier
If I would have known you wouldn’t be here
I would have locked the doors and kept everyone out of our house
People say time heals all wounds however, these wounds still hurt
People say you are pain-free however, we could have controlled your pain
I am happy you are in heaven with your family that left before you
I am overjoyed that your cancer is gone and you are a healthy man
I am thankful for every second, every moment, every day we spent together
Guess what else? I am mad I am sad; defeated because we couldn’t save you
And yet I know you are with God and that death is an amazing part of life
You are saved, you are whole, and you are still you
I miss and love you baby
Simplemente Gracias
Ismael Carl Rodriguez 03/08/'64-07/04/'20
Written on 10/25/2021
Folks must be happy in Guatemala
With tax money frittered by Kamala
Will she visit the border
To 'stablish peace and order
Or is she just Joe's otiose* wallah**
(*Serving no useful purpose)
(**A person in charge or employed for a particular purpose)
Here I am, waiting around for a topic
How about 'Philanthropic?'
And I've got to have an attitude
Well, there's always good ole 'Gratitude'
O.K. -- Let's see: 'Philanthropic.' Hmm...
If the more you give, the better you feel
Then why not just give away the whole blinkin' deal?
I guess that won't work
'Coz then you'll need someone philanthropic
Who may have just moved away to the tropics
So, there are limits to Philanthropy
Though surely there are none to 'Gratitude'
At least, none that occur to this poet dude
Thank you, Merci, Cpacibo, un a Dank
There are even more in my language tank
Mutsamesk, Gracias, Obrigado, Asante and Tack...
To wrap up this off-beatnik verisimilitude
Don't be over-philanthropic; you'll end up screwed
Now there's a zinger of a fine attitude!
Dios tiene justo Bésame-
Dios tiene justo;
Bésame;
Ha soplado la esencia de Su vida dentro de mí;
Me hizo el amor;
Me sacó de la suciedad, la mugre y la arcilla;
Me ha puesto un poco por encima de los ángeles;
Nacimiento espiritual en mí a su imagen;
Él me hizo
Estoy a solo un respiro de la muerte;
Gracias Jesús
Dios me ha besado
3/9/21
WRITTEN WORDS BY James Edward Lee Sr. © 2021
Fire crackles from within the aged wood-stove as the curandera reads from her book of recipes. Her rusted voice echoes around her old hut as she recounts the moments of her youth starting with, “When I was your age.” Her bony fingers clutch an egg while she draws circles on my back, reciting her consejos. I sit at her table as she crushes bitter truths and hard lessons in her mortar, which she adds to her potion. Counting my many pains from grief to heartbreak, she sets down a bowl of the strong steaming stew. Eagerly, I sip the broth seasoned with her tenderness and care, soothing my sorrows. Though her potion sears my throat, I take it without question, knowing the curandera has wisdom sewn within her wrinkles. Before I take my leave, she cleanses my spirit with her burning sage. I walk back into the world saying, “Gracias, madre.”
from a street
in Cartagena
stepping
suddenly
into a
restaurant
so Italian
surely i was
in a time warp
for i
i was still
in Colombia but
fooled by the food
so authentico
and even
the wine was
from Italy so
after paying
my bill
instead
of using
the usual
gracias i just
had to say
grazie
waitress
garcon
waiter
what
country am i
in to say no
more give
my wife
mi esposa
no vino
even if
she
asks for more
she doesn't
no gracias
from your
grazie so
s'il vous plait
or por favor no
nada nothing more
el cheque
die Prufung
thank you so much
domo arigatogozaimasu
she'll sleep
sleep it off and
never remember
that i was even there
i thought
i'd try sixty
nine by writing
the poem first
before having an idea
but isn't that
love or at least
what love's about
betting on what might be
a winning hand but truly knowing
the meaning you just pulled out of your
ask
please feel free to use
any part or piece of this
poem since i'm just writing
it as you read so
please fully use
any of the "thes"
but caution with the
"i's"
after all it is
hard to copyright
something that
even though i
don't know what IT
MEANS
Gracias mi Musa bless you for all the
things I think. I love you dearly and of
course truly as always from conversations
we've had or will in happiness have LOVE
you honey, and don't forget to use sun tan
lotion
Untrampled Sand
Idyllic shorelines tucked away
Are island protected in a tropical bay
Below pastel skies polished by clouds,
Reveal a Shangri-La lathered in gold.
Untrampled sands, white and tanned,
Are cooled by waves and wind-fanned,
Where exotic vegetation creeps unmolested,
Claiming squatters’ rights of fertile deposits.
Mollusk seashells litter the beach
Within the cove’s curvature outreach,
Where hermit crabs upgrade shells
And birds sing throughout the hills.
(Un paraíso tropical de mi corazón
En sueños con la mujer que amo.
Gracias por la memoria
Ese viento llena mi lienzo
Mientras navego por los océanos.)
A tropical paradise of my heart
In dreams with the woman I love.
I thank you for the memory
That wind-fills my canvas
As I sail the oceans.
in a café
in a city
of a country
who knows which
one she has picked
never seen
never been
but longing
to belong to what
she already belongs
linguistically
mixed up silly
Spanish
in Sicily
laughing
otra
to altro
but
vino
stays the same
vida
and vita
so close
for a toast
drink more
so that
cheers
becomes
from salud
to cin cin
drunken
slurs
of
gracias
to grazie
After Chican@ Literature 100
First of all, you are not going to find this stuff at the mall, sitting on a shelf next to a t-shirt that says, “I only look illegal”. There is no magic potion from the curandera to help you speak in your Father’s native tongue so that Navidad isn’t awkward for your family while you unwrap your tamale in silence because eres una verguenza. But still, you knew, learning math was more important than saying “Gracias” and “si senor” because you could always learn that later. And no, la pinche vecina did not perform brujeria so that one day we would be brain-washed in the classrooms full of gringos and forget about our roots by graduation. And we worked twice as hard as them, and while mami and papi prayed to the Virgen de Guadalupe, we stapled our hearts to every test, every quiz, and every assignment till there was no more room on the paper for failure; and finally, finally, we received our American diploma en la mano.
Adorable, Emerging On the Dawn---
Adorable, surgiendo sobre el alba;
El sol brilla debajo de tus hombros;
Hermosa cervatillo;
El pastoreo
Levantándose por encima del alba;
Adorable, surgiendo sobre el alba;
Y doy gracias a Dios por tu amabilidad;
Tus tiernos toques y cálida caricia;
Y le agradezco al Señor que siempre eres bendecido;
Adorable, surgiendo sobre el alba;
Adorable, emerging on the dawn;
The sun shines under your shoulders;
Beautiful fawn;
The grazing
Rising above the dawn;
Adorable, emerging on the dawn;
And I thank God for your kindness;
Your tender touches and warm caress;
And I thank the Lord that you are always blessed;
Adorable, emerging on the dawn;
Adorable, surgiendo sobre el alba;
El sol brilla debajo de tus hombros;
Hermosa cervatillo;
El pastoreo
Levantándose por encima del alba;
Adorable, surgiendo sobre el alba;
Y doy gracias a Dios por tu amabilidad;
Tus tiernos toques y cálida caricia;
Y le agradezco al Señor que siempre eres bendecido;
Adorable, surgiendo sobre el alba;
Adorable, Emerging On the Dawn
1/1/19
written by James Edward Lee Sr. 2019 ©
ADORABLE And You Are Loveliness---
Adorable
El sol brilla debajo de tus hombros;
Hermosa cervatillo;
El pastoreo
Levantándose por encima del alba;
Y doy gracias a Dios por tu amabilidad;
Tus tiernos toques y cálida caricia;
Y le agradezco al Señor que siempre eres bendecido;
Una adorable
La lluvia nunca cae sobre ti;
Las flores vienen a olerte;
Pétalos en flor;
Y doy gracias a Dios por tu amabilidad;
Tus tiernos toques y cálida caricia;
Y le agradezco al Señor que siempre eres bendecido;
Tu eres encantadora
Y tu eres encantadora
Tu eres encantadora
Adorable one;
The sun-shines below your shoulders;
Beautiful fawn;
Grazing ;
Arising above the dawn;
And I thank God for your loveliness;
Your tender touches and warm caress;
And I thank the Lord always you are blessed;
One adorable;
The rain never falls on you;
Flowers come to smell you;
Petals blossoms;
And I thank God for your loveliness;
Your tender touches and warm caress;
And I thank the Lord always you are blessed;
You are loveliness
And you are loveliness
You are loveliness
1/1/19
written by James Edward Lee Sr. 2019 ©
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