Let’s Begin The Day

“The day has just begun, put on your coat.”
–Cesar Vallejo

If I can’t be a saint
I’ll be a mirror in your room
where you can see yourself.
I’ll be a man on the street
selling chrysanthemums to passersby.
Come to me,
for if I can’t be saint
the music will start again
and I’ll be suffering badly.
Let me touch you
for I feel blind.
Let me cover your face with kisses
for it is necessary to begin the day
with enthusiasm and the bravado
of the bullfighter.
There is nothing wrong,
just the crazy boredom
which follows us into the night
like a sad creature from the sea.

Luis Omar Salinas

Poet Jose Montoya wrote, “…no one has ever disputed the fact that Luis Omar Salinas es el mero chingon de la poesia chicana. This has been not only the opinion of his fellow poets but of critics as well…He’s our Guru.”