Doing Away With Absence

Drawn each to each
in some arrangement of ourselves
we are lifted
away from twilight,

and elsewhere

we are going hand in hand by a river,
naming the strength of all things flowing.
As we advance, unhurried,
telling each other our best truths,
a moon sweeps out
serenely for miles around.

To you, and through us,
love is kind.

Tino Villanueva

This poem was taken from Shaking off the Dark published by Arte Publico Press.
“Poet and writer Tino Villanueva was born in San Marcos, Texas in 1941. In the early 1970s, he began publishing his poems and he became part of what has been called The Chicano Literary Renaissance. His work highlights the tension as well as the richness of living within two different cultures. He writes in both English and Spanish, often switching between the two languages. In 1972, he published his first collection of poems, Hay Otra Voz Poems (There Is Another Voice Poems). That year he also wrote Chicano Is an Act of Defiance.” Read the rest of this biographical note of Villanueva at the Southwestern Writers Collection website.

Follow this link to hear the poet read The Slow Weight of Time.