SAN FRANCISCO POETS

Jorge Argueta

POEMS IN MEMORIAM

FREEDOM RIDE ~ In Memory of John Ross (1938-2011)
POET IN THE HOUSE ~ In memory of my dear friend Victor Martinez (1954-2011)
CARLITOS ~Poem for my friend, Carlos Ramirez

FREEDOM RIDE In Memory of John Ross (1938-2011) I know these words Will find you These words know Where poets go When they leave The way you have left These words Will find you Writing notes For your next book About the loving monster Mexico City About the Mission District The Middle East Or your beloved Chiapas Wherever these words May find you poet comrade Wherever you might be Thank you for your mad endless rebellion For loving the poor people of the world They welcomed you in their struggle And you rode with them to a place of justice and hope Those who imposed their power Their oppressors Hated your guts And hated the beautiful truth Of your words demanding change They ran you out But you kept on coming Riding Rising the storm of your rebellion You kept on coming You were not defeated You rode el metro With your gangster rebel poet look You wore your Palestinian scarf with pride You defended Chiapas as any Zapatista rebel You kept on coming And today We ride with you Because the struggle is also here It has been here in the USA We ride with you Over rotten towns Of hunger Anger and dissolutions We ride over cities Where corrupt politicians Keep on trying to destroy The hope of the people We ride with you Because your cause Is homeless Countrylesss Borderless Undocumentedless We ride with you Because We are all legal And illegal All immigrants All Indians and non Indians All white and brown And yellow and purple Because we believe in every color Because like you We know America is larger Than just fifty states So let’s ride brother Let’s ride poet Let’s ride with the farmworkers Let’s ride with the teachers Let’s ride with the inmates Let’s ride with the hopeless Let’s ride Let’s surrender our bare bones The revolution is here And it belongs to us all - Jorge Argueta Argueta's poem for his friend, read at the February 26, 2011 John Ross Memorial reading held at Cafe Boheme in San Francisco. JOHN ROSS / REBEL JOURNALIST		IN THE HOUSE In memory of my dear friend Victor Martinez (1954-2011) by Jorge Argueta   A poet is in the house From where he sings his verses To the universe Tender hoarse laugh Of anger and beauty   This morning I laugh with you Dear friend as I remember The snow of Yosemite melting over The mountains While we were driving back From Fresno   I remember how much you love trees And the silence of those far away places in the hills   We agreed this Mother Earth is wonderful And we must take care of it I remember you caring for your writing In your house on Capp Street I remember you talking Of your long hours hunting For good words You never complained about the writing struggle You welcomed it You embraced it And at the end You freed the parrot from the oven Of the fields You made sure We saw the parrot fly free   This morning I remember you Victor Martinez Friend Carnal Chero* And as I shed these words for you I am happy For the caring Of your words I am happy for the light You have left with us all (on Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 7:44pm) *chero Salvadoran slang for friend	CARLITOS En memoria de mi buen amigo Carlos Ramirez Quien falleció el domingo 10 de Marzo, 2013 Allá viene Carlitos Ramirez Por la calle 24 Viene volando Viene cantando Allá viene Carlitos con nubes En las mejias Con nubes En la cabeza Allá viene Carlitos Alegre como los pájaros Hermoso como las flores Ayyyy que niño tan bonito y tan travieso Allá viene Carlitos Cantando el a b c Cantando de colores Cantando cielito lindo Allá viene Carlitos Maestro de todos los niños y las niñas Cipitio* de los salvadoreños Que están lejos de El Salvador Allá viene Carlitos Recitando su poesía Y todos las escuchamos En el viento Ayer se fué Carlitos Se fue con sus amigos los pájaros Ahora hay fiesta en las montañas y jardines Carlitos se ha vuelto primavera *Personaje de la mitología salvadoreña CARLITOS In memory of my good friend Carlos Ramirez Who passed away on March 10, 2013 Here Come Carlitos Ramirez Around 24 street He comes flying He comes singing Here come Carlitos With clouds on his cheeks Clouds on his head Here come Carlitos Happy like the birds Wonderful like the flowers Ayyyy such a cute and mischievous boy Here come Carlitos Singing the A B C Singing De Colores Singing Cielito Lindo Here come Carlitos A teacher to all boys and girls Cipitio* to the Salvadorans Far from El Salvador Here come Carlitos Reciting his poetry We can hear it In the wind Carlitos Ramirez left us yesterday He went away with his friends the birds Now there is a celebration in the mountains and gardens Carlitos has turned into spring *A character from Salvadoran mythology Jorge Argueta, March 11, 2013
Victor Martinez was born and raised in Fresno, California, the fourth in a family of twelve children. He attended California State University at Fresno and Stanford University, and worked as a field laborer, welder, truck driver, firefighter, teacher, and office clerk. His poems, short stories, and essays have appeared in journals and anthologies. His first novel, "Parrot in the Oven : Mi Vida" on the 1996 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. It describes life in the barrios and tells the story of a 14-year-old boy dealing with growing up in a world of gangs, violence and poverty. "I didn't do well in school. I sat in the back of the class and didn't say anything," Mr. Martinez said. "Most of my teachers thought I was just waiting to drop out, but my mother kept me in school." Victor Martinez died after a battle with cancer on Feb. 1, in San Francisco. He was 56.
"Journal Entry, June, 1984"  by Victor Martinez in which Victor attempts to define the foundation of his present and future poetry. "Nothing is breathing between me and a cloud. Yesterday I wrote a poem I believe is about how everything is superimagined by everything else, how a bird's flight in Mexico may very well be written in me, in my soul, or mind, or whatever it is that gets both our wings started. I'm looking for a staring off point, a platform or branch that will be both source and propellant of my poetry. When I address a poem, for instance, when I talk about why I am made up of time ‘and' letters, am I supposed to know if the future is a big hole I'm going to fall into, a place I will never return from, or whether the future has already happened and the past incomplete? When I begin to talk, should I assume there are gods or a God? Should I premise a false one or uncover one? Should I confirm it's death or try to kill it? Achieving a starting off, without dragging out any costumes, or stories about being poor or abused. is what I've been accomplishing lately. Like everyone else, I've been thrown into the world, the same as that bird in Mexico, literally hurled into this house of beauty and horror, and I want to value what I've already done and what has been done to me and others, and write it down. for something. for the bird and for me."   Poet and writer Victor Martinez 02.21.1954-02.18.2011 Homage for Victor by Francisco X. Alarcon  Remembering Author Victor Martinez
JORGE ARQUETA is a native Salvadoran and Pipil Nahua Indian and spent much of his childhood in rural El Salvador. He feels everybody is capable of writing, especially young children who are natural poets. Jorge Argueta's bilingual children's books have received numerous awards. Mr. Argueta's poetry and short stories have appeared in acclaimed literary textbooks, including Avenues (Hamptom Brown). Voices in Literature (Heinle & Heinle). Calle de Lectura (Pearson), English to a Beat (Hampton Brown), among others.  Bean Soup/A Cooking Poem and, for my latest book, Rice Pudding, A Cooking Poem, nominations include NCBR, Northern California Book Award, Tejas Star Book Award, among others. Jorge Arqueta's most recent books are fun learning tools - They are a poem, a story and a flavorful recipe. JORGE ARQUETA website

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