Old Man

old man
with brown skin
talking of past
when being shephard
in utah, nevada, colorado and new mexico
was life lived freely;

old man,
grandfather,
wise with time
running rivulets on face,
deep, rich furrows,
each one a legacy,
deep, rich memories
of life . . .
“you are indio,
among other things,”
he would tell me
during nights spent
so long ago
amidst familial gatherings
in albuquerque . . .

old man, loved and respected,
he would speak sometimes
of pueblos,
san juan, santa clara,
and even santo domingo,
and his family, he would say,
came from there:
some of our blood was here,
he would say,
before the coming of coronado,
other of our blood
came with los españoles
and the mixture
was rich,
though often painful . . .

old man,
who knew earth
by its awesome aromas
and who felt
the heated sweetness
of chile verde
by his supple touch,
gone into dust is your body
with its stoic look and resolution,
but your reality, old man, lives on
in a mindsoul touched by you . . .

Old Man . . .

Dr. Ricardo Sánchez was a renowned Chicano poet, teacher, and activist. He wrote several books including 1971’s Canto y grito mi liberación. His works have been included in several anthologies in the U.S., Italy, France, Germany, and Mexico. He was inducted into the El Paso Writer’s Hall of Fame posthumously.