Cenzontle/Mockingbird Songs of Empowerment
From the Author
My collection is a polythetic assortment of poetry, lyrics, and drama that serves as a polyglottic exhibition of empowerment through mimicry. Like a mockingbird, whom the Aztecs call "cenzontle" in their Nahuatl tongue, my writer's voice is polyvoiced. I include in this collection an eclectic variety of voices: personas, languages, forms, styles, and identities--often mixing them, in part to entertain and in part to challenge my boundaries as a writer, to stretch my vocal chords, so to speak, but also in part to challenge the lingering prejudice against such mestizaje--or meeting and mixing of cultures (and also voices)--and help convert our society into one that accepts itself as it is: polyglossic and stronger for it. As Maya Angelou reminded us, indeed "We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike." The sooner we embrace that truth, the sooner we can all join in the song that is America--the song that includes blues and jazz and conjunto and zydeco and yodeling and rap and bluegrass twang and zapateadas.
Paperback: 120 pages
Publisher: FlowerSong Books; 1st edition (April 23, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692077529
ISBN-13: 978-0692077528
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.3 x 9 inches
Poetry is the showcase in this collection. However, the highlight for me turned out to be a reinterpretation of the classic scene from "Romeo & Juliet" in which the lovers meet for the first time. In this case, the scene takes place in a contemporary fiesta attended by "vatos locos" and "chicas suaves." The same lines are found as in the play, yet rendered in Pachuco dialect -- this had me grinning, with its interpretive genius, and its familiarity due to my having grown up in southernmost Texas.
What initially struck me was the book's Introduction (by Michael Jones) which challenged me to reassess my continued difficulties comprehending modern free-verse. Each "chapter" starts with a Maya Angelou quote as the epigraph, hinting at a common theme in the subsequent poems. My favorite section has nearly each poem arrange its text practically into visual art; one in particular -- "Heaven Sent," which is a summary of the Gospels -- had me do a double-take when I reach the end.
While only a few poems still came across as vague to me, the majority successfully conveyed to me themes ranging from the somber to the humorous (the latter being ironic or even base). The Preface encourages vocal recitation; yet I'd love to see someone else do so with "Los Nalgazos Café" as I'd not have the nerve to do it in front of a crowd! In my opinion, a familiarity with colloquial Spanish helped me appreciate many of the poems (notably the parody of the song "Despacito").