¿Quien Eres Tu?
Who are you?
Pinche English teacher
Calling himself Chicano
A Mexican wanna-be
Verbs? Nouns?
Topic sentences?
Thesis statements?
That’s what you’re going to show me?
Pinche gabacho
Piel bronze
Brown on the outside
White on the inside
Talking all cholo
With your half English
Half Spanish accent
Playing Los Tigres del Norte
Y Ramon Ayala
In between blues,
Rock and roll,
And country and Western
Before, after,
And sometimes during class
Tύ no sabes nada
What are you going to show me?
Pinche Chicano writer
Preserver of la paz
De La Nación Aztlán
Freedom writer
For those
Who don’t want to be free
Freedom writer
For those
Who would rather not speak
Chicano writer
Writing for freedoms and rights
Of illegal immigrants
To preserve your own right
Of exploitation
So that we – mojados
Can mow your yard
So that we – mojados
Can paint your house
So that we mojados
Can cross YOUR drugs
So that we mojados
Can sell our mothers, wives, and daughters
To you
When your vieja
Is not enough
What are you going to show me?
Who are you?
Pinche English teacher
Ass-kisser of the machine, the system
You are no better than us
Whom you get PAID to teach
No better than us
Whom you PRETEND to want to help
Just so you can pay for
Your house
Your cars
Your cable TV
Your cell phones
Your $100 cenas
At Black Beards Restaurant
Who are you?
Pinche playwright
Writing about us
Portraying US as the victims
In your lines
Of art
And poetry
Under colored lights
Flashy clothes
Glamour curtain calls
Who the f*#k are you?
I’ll tell you who –
YOU are the victim
Not us
YOU are the student
Not us
YOU are the one incarcerated
By blind thoughts
Closed mind
Slang, mocho vocabulary
Not us
Chicano writer
Relax
Take a shot of tequila
Chase it down with
A cold Tecate
Take my daughter’s hand
For a few dollars
You can have her too
Chicano writer
Smoke that joint
Let the fumes consume you
Let go of your
Stereotype, contradicting ideals
English teacher
Leader of education
Open your eyes
And see the world around you
Tύ no sabes nada
What are YOU
Going to show ME?
WE are the verbs
WE are the nouns
WE are the topic sentences
We ARE the thesis statement
Who are you?
