Dr. Ramón Del Castillo
Editor’s Note: Dr. Ramón Del Castillo read the following poem during at the César Chávez Peace and Justice Committee of Denver’s Mass at St. John Francis Regis Chapel, Regis University on April 13, 2024.
Who is going to shovel
ashes of Ukrainian children
bodies burnt to a crisp
from the sweltering chemicals
invading their bodies,
and place them
into body bags,
ready to
mix them
with an ideological mortar
called human genocide.
Will vestiges
of human flesh
be spread
like mantequilla
across urban streets
of nations in turmoil,
casualties of death
caused by the elites
fatalities of technological warfare
of ruthless nations
hiding behind
modern day weaponry
fascists unable to discern
right from wrong
planning for the next attack?
Who is going to
pick up the ashes
of Palestinian and Israeli children
victims of religious zeal
armed and ready to kill.
Who is going to summon
withered spirits
roaming in country sides
floating in an abyss
of loneliness
as lifeless bodies
lie on cement streets
victims of a war torn nation
without an explanation
except to rationalize extermination
as unintended consequences
the price of war
leaving another a big scar?
Who is going to feed
farmworker children
their next meal
as they pick vegetables and fruit
from trees of survival
for wealthy American’s children
and their clandestine revival?
Who is going to wipe off
chemicals off a child’s face
as she becomes
an extinct race?
Who is going to
cuddle the quetzales
and los pericos,
whose destinies
of becoming bilingual pajaritos
to salvage the next generation
of raza suffering
from cultural extinction
now locked in cages
ripped apart from families
on both sides
of a fictitious border
covered with american drapes
so they won’t escape
while politicians
flicker a smile
as the border wall
stretches another mile.
Who is going to
salvage the broken hearts
of broken families
whose absconded children
perished in U-Haul trucks
skin melted
then pelted
by the sun’s rays,
children without names
sin sobrenombres
unfit to be sold
as modern day slaves?
Who is supposed to protect
third graders
innocent children
trembling under desks
in a classroom
while a half crazed
mental patient
suffers
from alienation
carrying assault weapons
during a crazy episodic event,
children whose caretakers
couldn’t muster up
enough courage
to save innocent lives
now etched in
a barrio’s memory
insanity at its best!
Who is going to
create termination rituals
for those young souls
who departed prematurely?
Who will do
una limpia
create harmony
restore balance
as spirits
march solemnly
into the 5th world
el Quinto sol
where wise healers
curanderas
shamanes
voodoo priests
spiritual leaders
have gathered
for a despedida,
a ceremony
to honor the dead?
Whose going
to tell them
a bedtime story
in their language
about a nation
losing its glory
as the power structure
takes advantage
watching spirits vanish?
What do we do
with the emaciated bodies
of Native Americans
uncovered beneath mother earth
dying in Native American prisons
euphemistically called
American Indian Boarding Schools,
children whose braids
were chopped off
names changed,
identities stolen,
culturally raped?
What words of wisdom
will Grandfather Creator
include in his sermon
during a spiritual reincarnation?
Will he summon
ancient flute players
invite the rhythms of drums
to play soft music
during their departure?
When will
he smoke
from the sacred pipe
full of peyote and sage
so we can heal from the rage?
When will the ghost dancer
Appear during a silent night
pray for healing
and take spirits
to nepantla
a sacred space
in between
two worlds
encircled with the sweet smell
of sacrosanct medicine
now left with
only a dark cloud
of sacred smoke
smoldering from
a revered pipe
a Medicine Man
praying for
a safe sojourn
during a second
trail of tears,
as human droplets
of memories
are sprinkled
onto la tierra sagrada.
La Curandera
under the light
of the moon
will perform
holy rites and rituals
blessing young lost souls
wading in
las lagrimas
de la gente.
Who is going to write
an epitaph
in the next history book?
To remind us
of a broken social contract
torn in half
by bewildered youth
Will it be you?
Dr. Ramón Del Castillo © April 12, 2024
- Who is going to take care of the children? - April 18, 2024
- Reclaiming Male Responsibility Through Nonviolence - April 1, 2023
- Peace Has a Price - April 22, 2022
