Stupid America
stupid america, see that chicano
with a big knife
in his steady hand
he doesn't want to knife you
he wants to sit down on a bench
and carve christ figures
but you won't let him.
stupid america, hear that chicano
shouting curses on the street
he is a poet
without paper and pencil
and since he cannot write
he will explode.
stupid america, remember that chicanito
flunking math and english
he is the picasso
of your western states
but he will die
with one thousand masterpieces
hanging only from his mind.
__________________
Lalo Delgardo
"Stupid America"
from Latino Poetry
Rigoberto Gonzalez, editor
The Library of America, 2024
