Featured Art by: carlos.a.funes
Journey Through the Desert
100 miles in the desert
Walking past cadavers half devoured by the Earth
The cunning coyotl knows these lands
And maneuvers past its primary predator: La Migra
“Where are you from?”
They ask, as if they are the native
Deported once
I don’t recognize your laws
Deported twice
With a baby in arms
MAGA – Mexicans Always Get Across
United States? All I see is Aztlan
You polluted our airways and contaminated our water
You instilled dictators and overthrew democratic fathers
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has no room for Tonantzin
Dear Maslow, you ever think about community?
The highest homicide rate in the world
Brought us banging at your door
You created these conditions now we’re all home-torn
You mass produce plastic, that’s a man-made disease
Feed us carcinogens and fluoride trying to keep us asleep
There’s Indigenous traditions woven in the Huipil,
Indigenous ancestors guiding me as I sleep
An innocent boy was murdered on my street
An indigenous boy who looked just like me
So I’m looking for answers, someone, please
When has a badge ever brought us peace?
(This poem is dedicated to Andres Guardado, Alex Toledo, Daunte Wright, Elijah McClain, and all those who have perished from police brutality.)
Andres Gomez is a Xicano writer with roots in Mexico and Central America. Andres works to indigenize and melanize colonized spaces through art, journalism, and poetry