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-
REYES & KNOXX Present The Smiling Flowers
A Poem Dedicated to Dia de los Muertos
In celebration of Dia de los Muertos, Chicago based poet Reyes teams up with Detroit’s own Sacramento Knoxx to create a short film titled “The Smiling Flowers”. The poem is a narrative of Reyes’ own personal altar that quickly moves into the world of culture and local and global politics. The film is a visual combination of cultural imagery mixed with issues of social justice and history. Reyes and Knoxx hope the film can not only be used in communities and classrooms as a way to create dialogue about different forms of oppression but to also teach people about the meaning of the Day of the Dead. Please share and Enjoy!
About Reyes & Knoxx
Reyes is a Chicano/ Mexicano activist, poet and hip-hop artist who is constantly pushing the boundaries and status quo of poetry and hip-hop. Reyes merges poetry and hip-hop to address issues of social justice and cultural identity while providing an entertaining, radical, and educational experience to his audience. He has performed at over 1,500 venues internationally and has worked with Dr. Cornell West, Lolita Lebron, Dolores Huerta, Oliver Stone, and Kanye West.
Knoxx is an Ojibwe/Anishinaabe & Chicano emcee, music producer, motion picture artist, community organizer & cultural worker. His style combines, not only, his diverse heritage but is a fusion of his experiences as both a trained jazz musician and hiphop artist. As an emerging indigenous artist: Knoxx has won an incredible amount of beat battles against some of the country’s greatest beatsmiths; holds international music placement around the globe; and has featured in a variety of media outlets, network television, and popular musical blog sites around the country. He has worked with Carlos Santana, DJ Kool Herc, Wynton Marsalis and John Trudell.