poetic hustlers

My dad was born in Mexico, but he lived in South Central. We lived there for a couple of years before I turned three than we moved to South Gate. We moved to Downey, after my dad got a good job and before my brother was born. It was rough when he was growing up, I know he wanted something better for his family. On that grind, first of the month, get that money. Hard working Mexican. Anyways, that my inspiration for today as I try to unwind before heading to school for work :-/. I am too busy....

confession

I do not think a day goes by when I don't think, "Fuck white privilege!". Plain and simple.

death and madness

First half of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s The Autumn of the Patriarch

“Although all trace of his origins had disappeared from the texts, it was thought that he was a man of the upland plains because of his immense appetite for power, the nature of government, his mournful bearing, the inconceivable evil of a heart which had sold the sea to a foreign power and condemned us to live facing the limitless plain of harsh lunar dust where the bottomless sunsets pain us in our souls.” (46)

This passage, one of the briefest in The Autumn of the Patriarch is also one of the most poignant and succinctly beautiful. It is a voice of a subject, knowing and understanding what is known about his/her condition as subject yet misunderstanding the history/purpose/reason for such a “cruel” leader. His madness and delusional is evident, citing the selling of the sea to payback debts and complete disregard for the people he rules over (rather than “represent”). The themes of life, death, cosmic fate, and power are all represented in this sentence where “origins” is birth and “lunar dust” is death.  The leader’s “mournful being” reminds us of his own relation to death, his manner is mournful and he is also responsible for the people’s mourning by sanctioning murder.  I immediately get the sense that all notion or idea of the “ruler” having any power is difficult to fully understand or conceive; there is no sense of history or responsibility tied to his position. With his “origins” disappearing from texts, it is evident that a sense of history or truth is shaky, easily manipulated such as maintaining the patriarch’s own sense of authority through image and performance. The emphasis on manners, behavior, gestures, and decoration throughout the text also underline’s a spectacle of power as propagated through propaganda and the ruler’s own delusions. ( “he said goodbye to them at the steps with an indifference of do what you think best because in the end I’m the one who gives the orders, God damn it, this the end I’m the one who gives the orders, God damn it, this farting all around and asking whether they wanted to or didn’t want to was over, God damn it, he cut inaugrural ribbons, he showed himself large in public taking on the risks of power as he had never done in more peaceful times…”) (60). The repition of symbols and themes of death and life also continues throughout the text, with not only beginning each chapter with a familar death of the patriarch scene, but referring to the dust, decay, where people are figuratively and metaphorically rotting away (plague). The ruler's attempt to cannonize his mother, emphasizes her saint religious-like status, even reminicent of the virgin mother mary.  Why the obsession over his mother? (Freud?) Or does she represent a part of past, being, and he recognizes the power in her? (insecure and paranoid ruler).  Her voice is also given a significant ammount of space, there is fretting over her strange or queer manners and customs, but what makes her spetacular is that she seems to have power she is not aware of, she still just sounds like a dotting mother rather than a woman with power, wealth, and control over the dictator.

but I am a writer baabyy

Tell me about your city, the block you grew up on, tell me about the people. The color of the clothes, girls you chased, songs you sang, bottles you threw. Tell me about the food you ate, family you loved, hand it to be in a fist.  Hands hard from labor, factories, fields, eyes knowing and wearing. Picking through your trunk to discover books, desperate to unravel the secrets of your long winters and chests of knowledge. Maybe it is tougher here or over there. I tried to trace the roots and genealogy, understanding the cosmic twist of paths.  Serve it up as I swallow, chocking on your history, legacy knotted in my throat and chest.  Like the lies, and false manifestos. I have songs, words, and tears in my mole, like water for chocolate.

Composicion para Espanol 3B: La clima contra-inmigrantes en los Estado Unidos

 Beautiful people, please note my grammatical errors. Muchisimas gracias.

Los inmigrantes vienen a los Estados Unidos desde todo el mundo para beneficiar en la riqueza de esta país y para mejorarse la vida. Para entender porqué los Latino Americanos ahora son la mayoría de inmigrantes de esté país, necesitas saber que muchos vienen de países con sistemas económicas donde no hay bastante oportunidades para la hente. Pore so, generaciones de Lation Americanos desde México, El Salvador, Guatemala y otros países veined a los E.E.U.U. para trabajar y ganar la vida. Pero también mucho gente en los E.E.U.U. no entienden las situaciones economícas diferentes partes del mundo como <<el tercer mundo>> y umas saben los privilegios y el sentido titular de la riqueza de Los Estados Unidos. Esta resulta en sentimientos contra-inmigrante, confusion, y embravecimiento con los inmigrantes quen vienen con costumbres, culturas, y lenguages diferentes.

            Porque el poder de este país está en las manos de hombres blancos y vivemos en una sociadad dnode la cultura de americanos blancos domina, hay opinions y argumentos que los inmigrantes necesitan asimilar; aprender ingles y entender los valores amiercanos. Es cierto que si quires tener éxito económico necesitas recursos como la educación y conocer buena gente en la comunidad. Pero también, los inmigrantes de países, pueblos, y familias pobres no tiened todo el dinero o recursos para siempre establecerse bien. Muchas de los inmigrantes que veined ilegalmente no tienen los mismos recursos y oportunidades de los imigrantes que vienen lgalmente y los ciudandes Estaduianses. Pore so, algunas personas quierían decir que los inmigrantes que mantienen su elnguages y herencia no están haciendo bien y hay mucho racismo e ignorancía contra ellos. Yo razona que sí, es importante para mantener su herencia e identidad si eres de otro país, pero en los E.E.U.U. el clíma politico todovia no está bien para muchos inmigrantes y el miedo y la ignorancia resultó en sentimientos contra ellos y sus  diferentes costumres.

            Cuando inmigrantes vienen a los E.E.U.U. en cualquier manera, la mayoría van a ciudades y comunidades donde tienen relaciones familiars y amigos. También vienen donde pueden encontrar trabajo y ciudades grandísimas como Los Ángeles, Nuevo York, El Paso y a Pheonix. Lo establacen por todo ek país y donde hay trabajo, como en los ranchos y fábricas. Pero en está crisis económica, también hay sentimiento contra inmigrantes que vienen <<sin papeles>> y razonan que los inmigrantes están quitando todos los trabajos, cuando en realidad, estos inmigrantes trabajan donde los estadounidenses no quiren. Por ejemplo, el el estado de Alabama, hay muchos inmigrantes que trabajan el los ranchos y fábricas haciendo trabajo que es muy díficil y dolorosa. Trabajan para grandes companies como Tyson pollos y en la agricultura. Como resultado, los sentimientos contra-inmigrantes son más Fuertes en este region y pasaron unas nuevas leyes que criminaliza la gente que vienen indocumentados. Ahora, Alabama ha perdido muchos trabajadores y saquaron sus niños de escuelas por miedo de la polícia o inmigración lo van a quitar y deportar. Las deportaciones también son un gran problema en los E.E.U.E. y es evedencia que el problema no es toda la culpa de los inmigrantes que vienen para mejorar su vida pero el sistema económico mundial y el sistema polítco que no tienen proprias leyes para los millones de inmigrantes que viven y trabajan en este país. El argumento solamente es sobre asimilación pero las condiciones y sistemas que quieran decir que el problema es que los inmigrantes no quiren asimilar o mejorarse. La asimilación sí es importante pero son las presiones para asimilar que es un resultado de nuestro clima recista y contra inmigrante.

bys

ll always be by your side

I’ll wear your language, clean your shoes, and speak your twang
I’ll eat your food, rub your back, rub your feet
I’ll fight your enemies, stare them down, not step down or pushed aside
I’ll make you the food and serve you in bed
I’ll comb your hair and throw away your cigarettes
I look into your eyes and see seas and skies
I’ll sail your boat across the river, over great lakes, to the pacific, gulf streams, visit costa rica, mexico, to cali from the panama canal
She was the lady in my eyes, calling me out on all my lies
She shined my shoes and picked my ties
She told no lies, I loved her eyes, I’ll make you mine, all mine
I am late to school, I missed my bus, cause loving you was not enough
I stayed up all night, reading the book you thought I should read
I read all day, finishing my essay so I can be with you
I worked all night, so I can buy you a meal
I wore my nice shirt, cause I wanted to impress you
I drove across town to buy you this sandwich, your choice of meats, you cant say no to a guy who offers you tortas. You knew the way to a hungry chicana heart.
I’ll always be by your side
I am in a state and I am falling down
I stayed up all night looking at pictures, writing, constellations and descriptive equations
I dram of your juices, absence, knots in my throat
Contemplating jumping out of windows, slamming into cars, and painting the walls. Love oh love, left behind, staring down the chancellor, fighting for your innocence.
I tied you up, locked it down, held it up and didn’t let them hurt you.
Your in my nest, safe by my breast, into the boroughs.
I wrote it up, followed the bad signs.
Against the ancient curses and warnings of curanderas and watchful eyes of Guadalupe. I creeped round the corners, falling into the wrong arms. drinking, challenging, laughing, joying, the destruction of the fake trees, love making pre theorizing revolutionizing, comp lit liberating and reconfiguring ideals of the norms
tearing down pedagogy in the arm of promise, knocked down, underground, underwritten. She caught my eyes, and I watched as she hopped on the bus back home, all I could do was watch as she slipped through my fingers.

falling over the icy edges, dreamt of solid bodies of water, unfinished elevators leading to nowhere, dreams that wake up into the lies of warmth, shadows, faceless.

Se expande en NY movimiento 'Ocupación de Wall Street'- de La Jornada en internet

Se expande en NY movimiento 'Ocupación de Wall Street'

¡Ocupemos todo!, dijeron algunos organizadores durante una discusión masiva realizada a las 15:00 horas, tiempo local, ante varios cientos de personas que lograron congregarse en la plaza, en la zona central de Nueva York.

Notimex
Publicado: 08/10/2011 19:10

Nueva York. El movimiento de Ocupación de Wall Street, que comenzó el 17 de septiembre pasado con un centenar de jóvenes apostados en el parque Zuccotti, cerca del centro financiero neoyorquino, se expandió este sábado a la plaza Washington de esta ciudad.
¡Ocupemos todo!, dijeron algunos de los organizadores durante una discusión masiva realizada a las 15:00 horas, tiempo local (19:00 horas GMT), ante varios centenares de personas que lograron congregarse en la plaza, situada en la zona central de Nueva York.
A diferencia de la ocupación de la plaza Zuccotti, rebautizada por los manifestantes como Plaza de la Libertad, la presencia de los inconformes en la Plaza Washington sólo fue temporal.
De acuerdo con los organizadores, el contingente comenzó a despejar la plaza poco antes de las 18:00 horas, tiempo local (00:00 horas GMT), a fin de evitar una confrontación con las autoridades.
La ley de la ciudad establece que las plazas públicas deben ser desalojadas a la una de la madrugada, por lo que algunos medios de prensa consideraban la posibilidad de una confrontación con las autoridades si los manifestantes decidían permanecer en la plaza.
El parque Zuccotti es administrado por los vecinos del área, por lo que ahí no hay una normatividad local que impida a las personas reunirse a cualquier hora.
“Creo que la expansión a otras plazas es una excelente manera de llevar nuestro mensaje a un público más amplio, y en mi opinión personal debemos hacerlo en más sitios públicos de la ciudad”, dijo Mark Bray, uno de los voceros de Occupy Wall Street.
Mientras tanto, ocupaciones similares se realizan en otras ciudades y pueblos de Estados Unidos y de Canadá, así como en otros países.
De acuerdo con los organizadores de la ocupación de Wall Street, hay movimientos similares en al menos 58 puntos de Estados Unidos.
“Creo que el movimiento se está fortaleciendo día a día, y cada vez atrae a más personas comunes, no sólo a gente que tiene claras filiaciones políticas y se identifica con la izquierda”, expresó Chris Tallent, uno de los participantes en el evento.
“Creo que el movimiento tiene el potencial de cambiar el debate político actual”, añadió Tallent, originario de Rhode Island, quien aseguró estar preparado para regresar a su estado y participar en el creciente movimiento de protesta local, organizado en la capital, Providence.

Gonzo, Brown Buffalo

Ok, so I am writing this post because a)I need to finish The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo and b) I need to finish The Autumn of the Patriarch, I am already a posts + notes behind on this book. I think its probably because I am trying too hard to READ it all and it does not sink in or make any literal sense.


1. Marquez
Marquez plays tricks! Just note how it plays with the sesnes "he himself burned annato logs of his dying mother, he himself with germicidial salves consoled the body that was red with Mercurochorme, yellow with picric, blue with methylene, he himself daubed with Turkish balms the steaming ulcers against the advice of the minister of health who was frightened to death of curses, what the hell, mother, it's better if we die together,he said, but Bendicion Alvarado was aware of being the only one who was dying and she tried to reveal to her son the family secrets that she didn't want to carry to her grave, she told him how her placenta had been thrown to the hogs, lord,...."
it goes on, the mother dies, son discovers her dead body wrapped in an "eternal sheet" where she has left behind an imprint that cannot be removed. The reaction to her death was official mourning of her death, descriptions of the funeral, the orphan "king" ruler life after her death, his wanderings into the river...

"he heard the endless thunder, he saw the bubbling swamp of the vast crowd spreading out all the way to the horizon of the sea, he saw the torrent of lighted candles that brought out a different and even more radiant brightness of noon, for his mother of my soul Bendicion Alvarado was returning to the city of her ancient terrors as she had arrived the first time with the turmoil of war, with the raw-meat smell of war, but free forever of the risks of the world because he had them tear the pages about the viceroys out of the school primers so that they would not exist in history, he had forbidden the statues that disturbed your sleep, mother, so that now she was returning without her congenital fears on the shoulders of a peaceful multitude, she was returning without a coffin, under a clear sky, in an air forbidden to butterflies, overwhelmed by the golden weight of the religous offerings that had been hung on her during the 9interminable journey from the far reaches


comparing to wars, political turmoil "the corpse of his mother was more turbulent and frantic than any that had ravaged the country during thr adventures of the federalist war.."


2. Zeta Acosta

1. We meet the speaker/protagonist  early on describing himself, the brown buffalo staring at himself in the mirror, taking the time to focus on his round, brown belly. He is a emotional mess, he has ulcers, bad diet, drinking problem, pills problems and he's been seeing his stereotypical Jewish shrink who tries to argue that the source of his problem was his past, relation to his mother etc. Does he trust anyone? Get a sense, of his own intuition of ivy league educated, bourgoisie, men typically considered "superior" to him.
2. Drugs, different states of consciousness, there are several instances occurring in the present in which Oscar is iniberated, drunk, high, and tripping on acid. His car falls over a cliff, he meets Owl. The writing is not incoherent, there is time to notice a slip, affect of the drug, there are different voices at party noting the effects on our protagonist.
3. Family, Riverbank,
4. on a search for a "good doctor"
5. 60's drug culture, I don't believe that transcdental psychadelic bs, Oscar is a lost soul, existenstial search, the drugs are just the scenery, not the main focus of his own spirtual journey. Yet I do not fully trust that his journey will actually end with him "finding himself' or "finding anything" but rather I enjoy those awkward moments where white people are not quite sure what to do with a brown buffalo "Samoan" such as himself.