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open letter
by Charlie Morganoh oscar, the side you saw;
the side i hid from you,
the heads and tails of a coin.
i lost what i was looking for.
my head, tossed like a storm-
laden salad; had a friend: gone.
my voice but a squeak, squawk!
all trying to know, to see;
i miss the friend i never knew.
please, por favor, assisteme.
i'll knock again when i switch sides
of the street; you'll know me.
i'll have egg on my face, a sly grin;
please toss a nickel in my cup,
i'll be here, strumming and hoping.
please pass this way again, look.
your words i don't understand but
your heart rings a tune like mine.
hear me, see me, feel me. i wait,
and in this while i will drink water,
grow like the pretty weed, dandelion.
i am a human that is being;
catch most of the music
and yet sometimes miss the rhythm.
perdoname, por favor. like the elephant man:
i am a man, just a man. but don't turn away,
we, fellow-travelers are going the same way. 09/17/2010 Author's Note: an appeal to Oscar Martinez for friendship, that i might have wrecked wanting his work to be in English. and his heart is written in Valencian Spanish and TexMex.
Posted on 09/17/2010
Copyright © 2026 Charlie Morgan
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Glenn Currier on 10/17/10 at 02:11 PM So much to love in this... the espanol scattered throughout showing the kind of language literacy one learns after studying Spanish in college for a year and then forgetting most of it only to be reminded of a few choice phrases by those around us with whom we are blessed to associate. And... oh! that "nickel in the cup" stanza - how we go begging for more meaning, more connection that seems humanly possible... And then there is "i am a human that is being" - I castigate myself for never thinking to say it that way - then turn and hug you for the soul from which it came. This is absolutely brilliant, Chaz. Goes in my favorites and my recommendation for potd. |
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