Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Alameda Island Poets Reading — January 4, 2012

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, Poets!

We are beginning the New Year, January 4, 2012 with a very special Featured Reader. Rafael Jesús Gónzalez, professor of literature and creative writing has taught at the University of Oregon, Western State College of Colorado, Central Washington State University, University of Texas, El Paso (as a visiting professor of Philosophy) and at Laney College, Oakland, where he founded the Dept. of Mexican and Latin American Studies. He has also taught in the k-12 elementary and high schools as part of the Poets in the Classroom program. His poetry and articles appear in reviews and anthologies in the U.S., Mexico and abroad. In 1996 he was named "Poet in Residence" at the Oakland Museum. In 2005, he was invited to read his poetry and present a paper at the World Congress of Poets in Tai'an, Province of Shandong, China. In 2006, he was named Universal Ambassador of Peace, Universal Ambassador Peace Circle, Geneva, Switzerland. In 2007 he presented a paper and read his poetry at the 8 Encuentro Literario Internacional aBrace in Montevideo, Uruguay, and in 2008 he read his poetry in Havana, Cuba. In October, 2009 he was honored by the City of Berkeley for his life's work in writing, art, teaching, activism for social justice and peace, and community work. He currently sits on the Latino Advisory Council of the Oakland Museum. His book of moon poems La musa lunática/The Lunatic Muse was published by Pandemonium Press, Berkeley in 2009.




We are very honored to host
Rafael Jesús González
as our first Featured Reader for 2012
on
January 4

he will be accompanied on the flute by
Gerardo Omar Marín

(musician, ritualist,
Restorative Justice, Environmental, & Food Justice activist)

Featured Reader from 7:00 - 7:35pm

Open Mic until 9:00pm.

Light Refreshments will be served.

Books Inc, 1344 Park St.

Alameda, California 94501




Books Inc is located at 1344 Park St., Alameda, 94501
telephone (510) 522-2226 or (510) 995-8698
Parking is available at the public lot on Oak St. near the intersection of Oak St. and Central St. Also a public lot (free after 6pm) located directly across from the Alameda Theater. Street parking is also available.

Alameda Island Poets
is a multicultural, multigenerational reading series.
All are welcomed and invited to include your voice!


Nanette Bradley Deetz
Coordinator, Reading Series

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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Christmas blessings

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---------A esto


Se dice que
el fulgor de un lucero
y el cantar de ángeles
anunciaron el nacer
del dios hecho hombre,
del niño nacido
entre animales domésticos.

Sea lo que sea el cuento
de la trágica y gloriosa
trayectoria de su vida,
todo se reduce a esto:
---enseñó a amar.




----© Rafael Jesús González 2011







-------------To This


It is said
that the brightness of a star
& the singing of angels
announced the birth
of the god made man,
the child born
among domestic animals.

Whatever is the story
of the tragic & glorious
trajectory of his life,
it all comes to this:
---he taught to love.




----© Rafael Jesús González 2011

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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Capricorn — Winter Solstice

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Capricorn — Winter Solstice


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------Capricornio

La cabra, piel hirsuta,
---cuernos de turquesa,
---ojos de granate,
---pesuñas de plomo,
se arrodilla a Saturno,
planeta de sortijas,
en la noche larga
----y persevera, dura
----en su anhelo de cornear
el punto cardinal de la tierra.



----------© Rafael Jesús González 2011



------Capricorn

The goat, hirsute hide,
-----horns of turquoise
-----garnet eyes,
-----hoofs of lead,
kneels to Saturn,
planet of rings,
in the long night
---& perseveres, persists
---in his desire to gore
the cardinal point of the earth.




----------© Rafael Jesús González 2011

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Monday, December 12, 2011

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

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------Rezo a Tonantzin


Tonantzin
---madre de todo
---lo que de ti vive,
es, habita, mora, está;
Madre de todos los dioses
------------------las diosas
madre de todos nosotros,
-------la nube y el mar
-------la arena y el monte
-------el musgo y el árbol
-------el ácaro y la ballena.

Derramando flores
haz de mi manto un recuerdo
que jamás olvidemos que tú eres
único paraíso de nuestro vivir.

Bendita eres,
cuna de la vida, fosa de la muerte,
fuente del deleite, piedra del sufrir.

concédenos, madre, justicia,
--------concédenos, madre, la paz.




---------© Rafael Jesús González 2011



anonymous, Mexico 1746


----Prayer to Tonantzin


Tonantzin
-----mother of all
-----that of you lives,
be, dwells, inhabits, is;
Mother of all the gods
---------------the goddesses
Mother of us all,
---------the cloud & the sea
---------the sand & the mountain
---------the moss & the tree
---------the mite & the whale.

Spilling flowers
make of my cloak a reminder
that we never forget that you are
the only paradise of our living.

Blessed are you,
cradle of life, grave of death,
fount of delight, rock of pain.

Grant us, mother, justice,
-------grant us, mother, peace.



--------© Rafael Jesús González 2011



by Robert Lentz
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Saturday, December 10, 2011

full moon: Occupying Moon

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---------------Luna ocupante


La luna plena
que marca acontecimientos —
el encuentro de un amigo en el parque,
la ocupación de una calle o una plaza
con campamento de carpas brotando
como hongos extraterrestres
de todos colores del arco iris —
ocupa todo —
esquinas y rincones,
atrios y parques.
Con su luz ocupa todo lo que encuentre.

No se le ocurriría
al policía más bárbaro
regarla con gas lacrimógeno.

Sería por demás —
aunque de vez en cuando
se sonroje y se esconda
en la sombra de la tierra
-----------la luna no llora.





----------------© Rafael Jesús González 2011








----------Occupying Moon


The full moon
that marks happenings —
meeting a friend in a park,
the occupation of a street or a plaza
with an encampment of tents sprouting
like extraterrestrial mushrooms
all the colors of the rainbow —
occupies everything —
outer & inner corners, atriums & parks.
With its light it occupies all it finds.

It would never occur
even to the most barbaric police
to spray her with tear gas.

It would be useless —
even though now & again
she may blush & hide
in the shadow of the Earth
--------------the moon does not cry.




-------------© Rafael Jesús González 2011




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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving


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-----------------Grace


Thanks and blessing be
to the Sun and the Earth
for this bread and this wine,
----this fruit, this meat, this salt,
---------------this food;
thanks be
and blessing to them
who prepare it, who serve it;
thanks
and blessing to them
who share it
-----(
and also the absent and the dead.)
Thanks
and blessing to them who bring it
--------(may they not want),
to them who plant
and tend it,
harvest
and gather it
--------(may they not want);
thanks
and blessing to them who work
--------
and blessing to them who cannot;
may they not want — for their hunger
------sours the wine
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and robs the salt of its taste.
Thanks be for the sustenance
and strength
for our dance
and the work of justice, of peace.



----------------------© Rafael Jesús González 2011



(The Montserrat Review, Issue 6, Spring 2003
[nominated for the Hobblestock Peace Poetry Award];
author’s copyrights.)







-------------Gracias


Gracias y benditos sean
el Sol y la Tierra
por este pan y este vino,
-----esta fruta, esta carne, esta sal,
----------------este alimento;
gracias y bendiciones
a quienes lo preparan, lo sirven;
gracias y bendiciones
a quienes lo comparten
(y también a los ausentes y a los difuntos.)
Gracias y bendiciones a quienes lo traen
--------(que no les falte),
a quienes lo siembran y cultivan,
lo cosechan y lo recogen
-------(que no les falte);
gracias y bendiciones a los que trabajan
-------y bendiciones a los que no puedan;
que no les falte — su hambre
-----hace agrio el vino
-----------y le roba el gusto a la sal.
Gracias por el sustento y la fuerza
para nuestro bailar y nuestra labor
--------por la justicia y la paz.



---------------© Rafael Jesús González 2011



(The Montserrat Review, no. 6, primavera 2003
[postulado para el Premio de la Poesía por la Paz Hobblestock;
derechos reservados del autor.)




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Monday, November 21, 2011

Sagittarius

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------------Sagitario

El arquero apunta a Júpiter,
----planeta de tantas lunas,
cuya luz se refleja en sus ancas,
y en la punta de topacio de su saeta
brota la llama inconstante del anhelo.
------En cadena de estaño
------lleva pectoral de turquesa
------bruñida de ensueños
---------y apunta
-------------------y apunta
---------y anhela herir al cielo.



----------------© Rafael Jesús González 2011



-------------Sagittarius

The archer points at Jupiter,
-----planet of many moons
whose light reflects on his haunches,
& on the topaz point of his arrow
bursts the inconstant flame of his desire.
------On a chain of tin
------he wears a medallion of turquoise
------polished by dreams
---------& he points
----------------------& he points
------& desires to wound the sky.




----------------© Rafael Jesús González 2011
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