Ceramic cup by Marsha Gomez ©

For Marsha . . .

...under the old sun
we will know each other
by the dust on our feet
—José Flores Peregrino

in the eye of my heart, I can see her:
the diligent artisan, committed
with clay & sand & water
designing, shaping, refining
the earthen cup, warm in her hands
—a drinking cup, the color of
soft midnight, a vessel of strength
for daily wear

its pedestal is hollow
—always an achievement
in ceramics, and denoting
the need for space
within space:
a freedom only autochthonal blood
can fully understand

she wanted to give me something
that would speak in celebration
of her/our essence of indigenous affinity:
She, Choctaw
I, Mexica

Angela . . . here, take this cup
and whenever you drink of it
think of me . . .

dear Marsha! Marsha Gómez,
your gift will throb forever
within these words from my/our

Raza Love / Raza Need / Raza Expression

esta noche, al llegarme
la onda de tu poesía
se abrió mi corazón
y te descubrí . . . hermana mía . . .

—Angela de Hoyos© All rights reserved

 

From Early Ripening: American Women's Poetry Now, Ed. Marge Piercy, Pandora Press, New York and London. ©1987)