reyespoetry.com

The Smiling Flowers  
On November 1st  when Xiucoatl has accompanied 
Huitzilopochtli on his journey to the underworld 
and the moon is in the sky above 
so blind eyes may see through the darkness of night 
do not cry for my lost soul 
I’m not lost at all 
death is no more than a continuation of life 
  
Does one cry in the fall when the trees lose their leaves? 
Does one cry when flowers no longer blossom and then wither? 
  
No, it is understood that this is life 
We are saddened but we do not cry 
We rejoice when spring comes and all is new 
Rejoice my death as if I will return as the cempasuchitl does in the fall 
  
So on November 1st place upon my altar 
a photo so I may be remembered physically in life 
Place upon my altar 
photos of the women from Juarez who have disappeared with no trace 
so their faces may be remembered 
Place upon my altar 
photos of the indigenous of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Peru, 
Honduras, Venezuela 
All of the Americas north to south 
so we may not forget that they too are a part of us 
Place upon my altar 
photos of the undocumented workers in the United States 
so we may remember and understand that they deserve basic human rights 
Place upon my altar 
photos of all of those who have felt the brunt of oppression 
and refused to break under its yoke 
So we may remember those who have struggled, died, and resisted 
  
Yes, on November 1st place upon my altar 
Beautiful cut-out designs of tissue paper 
Not only for decoration but to remember the earth that was stolen 
Cut them from the stars, the moon, the sun 
so we may remember we must be humble in our dependency upon nature 
Cut designs from the brightest of colors 
  
Place paper of blue, to honor the polluted streams, rivers, lakes, and ocean 
Place paper of red to remember the earth that was lost by blood 
Place white for the clouds, the sky, the air so it may be clean once again 
Place green for the forest, the jungles, and all the plants so we may use them wisely 
  
On November 1st place upon my altar 
All the foods I enjoyed so much in my lifetime 
 tacos de carne asada, pastor, tortas, arroz con gandules, tamales, and pan de muerte 
  
On November 1st place upon my altar 
Six candles not only for the directions of the earth 
but for all of those in the world, North, South, East, West 
and the heavens who have starved of starvation of the soul 
numbing of the mind and physical hunger 
brought about by war, domination, and colonial rule 
  
Place upon my altar 
not only candles to help guide my way back on my journey 
but place candles for those who are blind to injustices 
brought about by a world market that values product over life 
  
Place upon my altar 
a candle so that neo-liberals of the world 
may see that communities have a right to exist 
Place an olive branch for those in Palestine that have resisted 
those forces at every moment 
  
And place upon my altar 
tequila, Heineken, Coronas, needles, and crack pipes 
place blunts and squares and pills and lines 
so we may not forget what was created to destroy our physical being 
So we may not forget those who have felt that they cannot go on 
for those souls that have found hope by escaping what is real 
Place upon my altar 
pain and addiction and remember that we all one day may feel both 
  
Place upon my altar 
a pen, not only because I like to write, but for those who cannot 
Place upon my altar 
books, not only because I like to read, but those who have never had a chance to learn how 
Place upon my altar 
skulls of sugar, not only to greet death with a smile, 
but to remember those who did not have a chance to live 
and passed on from curable diseases 
To remember that too often, money for medicine 
 is worth more than human life 
Place upon my altar 
Bullets, for those used, shot, and murdered by unjust racist ideology 
Place a photo of Oscar Grant, Renicia McBride, Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown 
  
Place upon my altar 
albums of hip-hop and salsa, nortenos and cumbias, corridos and ballads, 
not only because I enjoyed listening to music 
but for all of those who had no time to do so 
For those whose lives were focused on survival 
and only danced to the rhythm of a post modern industrialized world 
  
Place upon my altar 
incense of copal, not only so I may enjoy its essence 
but to remember those who have smelled 
the foul scent of burning fuels, disease, and gasoline 
Those who have smelled the decay of an urban city 
those who have smelled the odor of dead comrades 
Place upon my altar 
empty bullet shells, for those burned by lead 
Place broken mirrors for all the times that we were told we were ugly 
Place pain and sorrow, hate and vengeance, so we may forgive and be forgiven 
Place mercy and peace so humanity one day may know love 
Place the stars and the moon, the sky and the sun, the earth and the oceans 
Place smiles and kisses and hugs and laughter and music 
Place memories of friends gone and children yet to come 
Place stories of history and resistance 
  
And place upon my altar 
flowers of cempasuchitl, not only as an offering to the spirits and the energies, 
But to remember our lives are like the flowers 
  
A flower may die in the fall, but its fragrance lingers on 
The petals may dry, but its essence continues to live 
So on November 1st when Xiucoatl has accompanied 
Huitzilopochtli on his journey to the underworld 
and the moon is in the sky high above 
so blind eyes may see through the darkness of night 
  
Place upon my altar 
all of those things that had meaning in my life 
But do not cry, for I am watching, we are watching 
laughing, mocking death just as the sugar skulls 
that adorn our altar 
Do not cry for my lost soul, I’m not lost at all 
Death is no more than a continuation of life 
  
Our lives are like the flowers-