Sunday, June 27, 2010

"Know the Names of Things"

Know the Names of Things
for immigrants everywhere anytime


Know the names of things.
How 3+1 equals nada
in a barrio flat. How many 
unknowns there are in a single
bottle of pills. How much
it costs to breath through
the nicotine, the anxiety,
the three times a million lost
nickels in the foreign exchange,
in a bushel of sterile seed.

Know the names of things.
How to live. How to love
the you in all. How to call
out to the impoverished ancestors.
How to feed a future. Call
it what you will. Call power
in a name. Name the world
to own it. Learn hammer
and sickle. Learn the many
names for drought. Name the 
expedient past, the succumbing future.
Name what you will. Will what
you name. The power of the tsunami
in the syllables of truth, the reconstruction
of the hurricane in the uplifting vowels.
Learn the names of all the treaties
never honored by our government.
Name the dead, too.

Know the names of things.
How to count. Count the many ways 
life changes life and death
changes nothing and never gives.
There is a way if you name 
it. If you follow it the road
will come. Be the strings that hold
up this house of time held
by the wisdom of the abuelas
with words holding taut the strands.
In the beginning was an absence.
Name that, too.

Know the names of things.
How to tell the singer
from the song. How to swear 
on a star, become the jury 
of one. How to tell over
the cacophony of a thieving
crow. How to chant the mastery
of who enslaves whom, who orders
the gun, the bomb, the shock
and awesome truth. Name this, too.

Know the names of things:
auricle from ventricle, aorta
from vena cavae, arteries from
aurioles; all matters of the heart.
Save with the words for it.
Then be it, a savior
with your words. We, 
the named, we, knowers
know the power, the power to name,
to see, to know, belongs
to the perceiver, the receiver
of knowledge — all in a name:
our name, your name, the stolen 
names, the original names,
the slaughtered names, the slaughtering
names, names for The People for people
who need no names, who need food, 
who need the crystal water
because 3+1 in a barrio flat
equals nada. Name this, too.

Know the names of things.
and heal. 



6/11/10
Lorna Dee Cervantes

Labels:

18 Comments:

Blogger A. S. Patric said...

Brilliant.

8/7/10 17:15  
Anonymous chris ng said...

I enjoy reading your poems. thank you

16/7/10 22:57  
Anonymous Mike said...

Really stunning. Thanks.

22/7/10 10:46  
Blogger LaVone said...

Wow that was really beautiful, an awesome post. Being that you are also a poet, I would be honored if you could swing by my blog and critique some of my poetry ( http://lavonelyrics.blogspot.com ) I hope to hear from you soon.

-LaVone

3/8/10 11:03  
Blogger Viktoria Valenzuela said...

I would like to give you this Sunshine Award in honor of your excellent bloggetry:

http://viktoriavalenzuela.wordpress.com/153-2/

6/8/10 13:07  
Blogger Sonia Gutiérrez said...

"Know the Names of Things" appears en La Revista Literaria de El Tecoloto! Both your poem and La Revista Literaria--present deep-felt words. I feel them, and like yourself, I also dissect words. Gracias!

7/8/10 00:48  
Blogger Alicia Fisher said...

Lush and mesmerizing. A boquet of truths. Thank you, Lorna.

12/8/10 21:49  
Blogger chris said...

amazing. thanks for this.

chris murray

29/9/10 19:59  
Anonymous Paul said...

hombre
What r you about
brother

20/10/10 10:38  
Blogger saturniana said...

Este poema me puso los pelos de punta, ¡brillante!

24/10/10 03:44  
Blogger erica benton said...

beautiful. im so happy to find your blog

23/12/10 20:55  
Blogger World Poems said...

Hi Lorna, I would like to invite you to visit this new poetry website, www.world-poems.net

Help us to share your poetry :)

6/1/11 13:48  
Blogger Carlos Sidinei said...

What a nice surprise finding your blog. I loved the line: "How many
unknowns there are in a single
bottle of pills."
And I liked th use of spanish words along the text.
By the way, I have two blogs, one in Portuguese and other in English. I would appreciate if you could pay a visit:
http://rimandocontraamare.blogspot.com/
http://brazilianpoets.blogspot.com/

23/1/11 06:06  
Anonymous Smith said...

This is quite incredible. Your words are unique, and they tie together perfectly.

23/1/11 10:00  
Blogger Amor Sabor said...

Excellent work...you have such a firm grasp for los raices & the meanings of not just words but of everything about the lives of "la gente".
Amor

26/2/11 20:21  
Blogger J said...

I love your posts, and I wanted to let you know I am a great fan of your work. :) Keep writing!

10/3/11 21:45  
Anonymous Hayden Andrews said...

An enjoyable read. Thank you.

The Poetry Bin

17/3/11 22:31  
Blogger Unknown said...

love it! Great rhythm.

24/3/21 21:08  

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