Cinco de Maya

The Greek Theater

In Berkeley

Gets full like a bowl

Mexican-Central American

Caribbean Latinos

Bubbling like fruits

Within the rainbow blanket

Of colors

Corn maidens

Barley princesses

Chocolate sense and desire,

Rye toast

Sugar cane and plantain

Mountain sculpture

Wave spring bushes

In front of Zeus-Apollo,

As the singers invoke

The indigenous Gods

Singer sonero.

Caribbean substrata Yoruba

Yemayá-Shango fire and water music,

Them are the lyrics present,

What’s come to be

From the mouth

The meter

Demeter measured in clave

Rhythm,

Plato’s rope

Lassos at the 

Various personalidades

The eyes are gloves

The flowers the baseballs

Our rhythm park

La Voice filters

Shango sprayers

The air

Plumed serpent

Circles this

Egg shaped zero

From which

Spring all motherfletchers,

Amphitheater

Musically Luis Perico Ortiz

The parrot trumpet solo

Massages encounter sereno

Of sleep

Oval pelota

Going towards

Infinite reoccurrence 

Top head Sun /Sol

Hang on the journey-ride

Air ripples

Dance and touch

The hands helium of

Distance

Sweet contemplato,

Kaleidoscope from afar

Moisture incense

Syrup

Fruit bowl inside, 

Plato knew the

Sun shone upon our pyramids,

The rays fallen here

This gorgeous theater

Of his people.

Theos-Calli:

Plumed Serpent. 

From Guayacán (Ishmael Reed Publishing Company, 2023) by Victor Hernández Cruz. Copyright © 2023 by Victor Hernández Cruz. Used with the permission of the author.