By Carmen Tafolla

The pathways of my thoughts are cobbled with
        mesquite blocks
                and narrow-winding,
        long and aged like the streets of
                san fernando de bexar
                        y la villa real de san antonio

        pensive
                y callados
        cada uno con su chiste
                idiosyncracy
                        crazy turns
        that are because they are,
                centuries magic

cada uno hecho así,
        y with a careful
                capricho touch,
                        así.

They curl slowly into ripples,
        earthy and cool like the Río Medina
                under the trees
                        silently singing, standing still,
                and flowing, becoming,
        became
and always as always
        still fertile, laughing, loving,
                alivianada
                        Río Medina
                                under the trees,
                                        celebrating life.

They end up in the monte, chaparral,
        llenos de burrs, spurs
                pero libres
Running through the hills freefoot
       con aire azul
               blue breaths peacefully taken
                       between each lope
                               remembering venado
                                       remembering conejos
                                               remembering
                                                       where
                                                               we came from

Poet Bio

Carmen Tafolla is a poet, author, teacher, educational consultant, and sought-after speaker and performer. A native of the West-Side barrios of San Antonio, Texas, Tafolla earned a BA, MA, a PhD from the University of Texas, Austin. In 1973, she became Director of the Mexican-American Studies Center at Texas Lutheran College. The recipient of many honors, she is the current inaugural poet laureate of San Antonio. Tafolla has held numerous faculty and administrative positions at universities throughout the Southwest. In 1999, the President’s Peace Commission of St. Mary’s University selected Tafolla for its Art of Peace Award for writing which promotes peace, justice and human understanding. See More By This Poet