Middle Georgia Christmas

The leaves have fallen off the trees

And Christmas is around the bend

There is no snow, but there’s a breeze

So I figured I should send

This little note with my regards

To show you that I cherish you

And the tons of Christmas cards

That I have gotten too.

So if you’re worried that I’m cold

Or lonely that we are apart

Fear not for me, as I am bold…

The thought of Family warms My Heart!

© José V. Guerra Awe

Wet Back

He risks everything,

Travelling in the back of trailers

Or floating down a muddy river,

In search of a better life.

Globe Trotter

He hails from all corners

Speaks many tongues

And has many faces

He's a plumber, a picker,

A carpenter, a smith,

A janitor, a gardener,

A driver, a Mule.

He busts his back,

Blisters his hands,

Cuts his fingers

Risks life and family.

All for what?

He earns a misery,

Works without rest,

And is so far from home.

He is beaten down,

Ridiculed,

Discriminated without remorse,

And shunned.

He is humbled...

But will not cringe.

He endures hardships,

To see his dreams fulfilled.

© José V. Guerra Awe

Judge Me

Stare deep within my eyes,
Deep within my soul.
Feel the way I feel,
Think the way I think.

Venture through my mind
And live the way I do.
Love the way I love.
Hate the way I hate.

Travel through life,
But see through my eyes...
Smile the way I smile.
Tear the way I tear.

"Judge me for yourself,
Not by other people's fears."

© José V. Guerra Awe

Me, the Sea, My Boat, the Breeze

If, if, and only if,

I had a ship to sail the seas...

I'd raise my sails

To catch a breeze

And sail across

The seven seas.

Around the clock

I'd sail these seas.

No cares, no worries,

No taxes, no fees.

Just me, the sea,

My boat, the breeze...

The simple

Bare necessities.

© José V. Guerra Awe

For All The Times I Couldn't Say...

I sit and write this to compensate

For all the times I couldn't express

My true emotions, to anyone

To which the following apply:

For all the times I couldn't say

I love you

For fear of rejection

Fear of animosity

Or Non-reciprocation

For all the times I couldn't say

I love you

To those who love me too

My family, my friends

People of this earth

For all the times I couldn’t say…

I love you!

For all the times I couldn’t say

I’m sorry

Because of foolish pride

Rejection of apology

Or perhaps unconcern

For all the times I couldn't say

I'm sorry

To anyone I've injured

I stand humbled

I beg forgiveness

For all the times I couldn't say…

I’m sorry!

For all the times I couldn't say

Thank you

To all the people in my life

For being there through thick and thin

For listening, caring, comforting

For all the times I couldn't say

Thank you

To my parents whom I love

For raising me the way they have

And never stifling my potential

For all the times I couldn't say…

Thank you!

For all the times I couldn't say

Fuck you!

To those who treat me with indifference

Those who condescend

Or lash me with racism

For all the times I couldn't say

Fuck you!

To those who take me for a fool

Smash my confidence

Or do not valour me

For all the times I couldn't say…

Fuck You!

For all the times I couldn't say

The words I truly meant

I say them now with no remorse

I say them now to all of you

For all the times I couldn't say…

© José V. Guerra Awe

Endangered Earth

Resource depletion and

Biodiversity loss.

Is it feasible to operate

At this very hefty cost?

Deforestation, poaching,

Famine and pollution.

We must acquire sustainable

Environmental solutions.

Overpopulation

And radioactive sludge.

The consequences to our actions

Have greatly been misjudged.

Plunder and destruction,

Violence and crime.

Can we learn from our mistakes

And pass the test of time

What can we do to save

Our now endangered Earth?

“Value it for what it is,

For what it’s Really Worth.”

© José V. Guerra Awe

Fusion

There comes a time in life

When man and woman are one

When our everlasting thirst for pleasure

Is quenched by our thirst for life

The life of another

With whom we will share

An act so sacred

We both will soon bear

The passion’s so strong

That our troubles are gone

We’re overwhelmed with vigour

As the flesh begs for More…

There is nothing greater

Than the strength of the flesh

When it longs for another

And another it gets

The sensations transmitted

And conduced by our skin

As it twitches and tingles

While the moment’s everlasting

Skin that feels

Skin that yearns

Skin that longs

Skin that burns

Burns with the heat

Of the fusion flesh

When man and woman are one

In every beat and every breath

© José V. Guerra Awe

Killer Instinct

A killer instinct runs in the blood.

It roars and rages,

As it twists and turns,

Like a river on the verge of a flood.

A killer instinct dwells deep within.

It renders us blind,

As it conquers our mind,

Like the burden we bear for the greatest of sins.

A killer instinct envelopes the soul

It stifles creativity,

As it spreads to our core,

Like a plague, it devours us whole.

A killer instinct blazes our heart.

It chars the soul,

As it flames our rage,

Like a spark on dry leaves, the inferno does start.

A killer instinct consumes our life.

It rapes our humanity,

And shackles our freedom,

Then pierces our love, like the blade of a knife.

© José V. Guerra Awe

Denied

I will not be denied the right

To live my life the way I choose

The right to flee or the right to fight

The right to win or lose

I will not be denied my pride

My freedom or my fantasies

The right to show or even hide

Emotions that belong to me

I will not be denied by fear

Nor will I be denied myself

The right to things that I hold dear

Nor the right to someone else

I will not be denied to love

Nor the right to try

The right to embrace the right to shove

The right to live and die

© José V. Guerra Awe

Buttress Blues

Been waiting here for endless hours,

I’ve seen trees bloom and their flowers

Fall like toy soldiers

On tiny parachutes

Seen seasons change before my eyes,

Children playing, heard their cries

As thunder storms roll through

Like bowling balls

I think I’ve done my share of sitting

Waiting while the clock kept ticking

And bike wheels spin round

Like the minute hand

So while I hide within this buttress

And lay my every care to rest

I’ll sing these blues

Until you come along

...Until you come along

...Until you come along

I’ll sing these blues

Until you come along

Been looking past a dark horizon

At an orange moon a risin’

Thinking to myself

“Where might you be?”

Kept my emotions in a bundle

Nestled deep within this jungle

A dense bastion

From unworthy eyes

And as I venture through the night

Basking under full-moon light

My soul’s consumed

By Jaguar Spirit

So while I battle through this cave

Ward off demons weak and brave

I hope tomorrow’s sun

Will reignite

If Xibalba's dirty tricks

Bring about my soul's eclipse

Fear not these thirteen

Levels I'll still travel

Then once again within this buttress

Having laid my cares to rest

I'll sing these blues

Until you come along...

...Until you come along

...Until you come along

I’ll sing these blues

Until you come along

© José V. Guerra Awe

Manta Ray

Soaring aloft its submerged kingdom,

Lost in loneliness.

Effortlessly drifting in a world of silence,

Boasting such finesse.

Gracefully gliding through calm waters,

Unseen and undisturbed.

Furtively sailing away from all danger,

Retreating into the unplumbed.

Wandering away, innocent Devilfish,

Spreading its wings, soaring the deep.

Vaunting in majesty,

Still, ever so meek.

© José V. Guerra Awe

Will You Marry Me?

Perhaps I really meant it

as I asked you those four words

or was it merely fuelled by

my hearts longing for another

Or maybe it was produced

to seduce a gal like you

lure you to this haven

beneath my silken sheets

Still I must confess

I could use you by my side...

to guide the path my life takes

and to complete my every thought

Or even to awake

to the longing, lustful memory

of how you looked last night

as we ravished one another

But in spite of dark horizons

that could cloud the days to come

I promise that forever

for your quenching soul I'll long

© José V. Guerra Awe

Drums Beating

I’m feeling a vibe.

It’s a resounding thumping,

Echoing inside my chest.

It’s the sound of a thousand beating Garifuna drums.

It’s the stomping of dancing feet around a fire.

It’s a song in Garinagu,

Sung by brightly clothed women and men.

It’s life beating against the walls of my rib cage,

Yearning to be free.

© José V. Guerra Awe

Hasta Las Estrellas

Quisiera poder

Verme y recordar

Aquellos tiempos cuando

Íbamos al mar

Inseparables tal

Como el pez y el agua

Elemento principal

Quisiera tocar

El aire en que flotamos

Al saltar al agua

Y luego nadar

Irme hasta el fondo

Y nunca salir

A este mundo infernal

Me quisiera ahogar

En olas de amor

Pero solo hay odio

Un océano de rencor

Que consume mi energía

Se la traga entre si

La convierte en dolor

Quisiera escuchar

La música astral

Pero no penetra

Nubes sin remedio

Negras como muerte

Llenas de veneno

¿Qué hacer para respirar?

Quisiera pensar

Que en el mundo hay bien

Apreciar la tierra humana

Por todo lo que es

Pero se me hace tan

Difícil concentrarme

Al ver tanto mal

Quisiera caminar

Entre arenas del olvido

Para poder curar

Heridas que me impiden

Poder disfrutar

La fruta de este árbol

Para poder soñar

Quisiera poder ver

El mundo al revés

Para observar

Los miles ceños de

Los Niños del planeta

Y acompañarlos entre

Burbujas de color

Quisiera derramar

Muros de terror

Y librar los sueños

De los desaparecidos

Evaporar sus almas

Hacia un cielo azul

En donde serán libres

Quisiera aparecerme

Donde no existe tiempo

Y no se teme a la muerte

Volar entre vientos de pasión

Hasta las estrellas

Romper las jaulas

De mi imaginación

© José V. Guerra Awe