Louie the Mongoose—Killer of Snakes
(Que viva ... )
The judge intoned, “Guilty on all counts,”
evenly subtracting time from the life
of Louie the Mongoose.
Louie, so shy yet so eager to get involved.
Louie beating skin and keeping time
forging poems in heated passion.
WE ARE THE RAINBOW RACE!
Viejitas rocking fat, brown babies
on wrinkled knees.
Students after their Bull Shit degrees.
Even the hard assed homeboys on the corner
having no time for his unity rap
fell into his rhythm as he gave them
searing poems to burn into
bi-cultural minds;
cutting words honed in resentment,
bouquets of poems lovingly fashioned
in city blues, Latin reds and battle grays.
His verse tried to wake us from soured dreams,
warning us of the venomous snakes
crawling into our beds,
in our heads;
gold- and silver-fanged reptiles
fattened on the blackest of oil,
reddest of blood.
His anguish flew from an outraged soul,
“¡Despierta Boricua, defiende lo tuyo!”
His truth, fluttering its mutilated wings,
fluttered, fell upon the conquered ground
trampled by the feet of the masses
waiting for the coming of the twin bastard gods,
Fortune and Fame.
Exchanging his pen for a gun,
the poet took aim
and Louie the Mongoose,
killer of snakes
was found guilty
of loving the best in us—
our nation Borinquen.
Structure
40 lines · 40 stanzas