By Will Falk

walking in Chicano Park
one morning hazy with
shipyard fumes and shipyard lies

I stop in front of the mural
depicting Quetzalcoatl
who is half-bird, half-serpent
who, in one of his guises,
is Ehecatl, the God of the Wind

I want to pray but
I am not Aztec or even Mexican
and my Catholic grandmother
would abhor the idea
of me praying to an idol
so I bow my head and
keep on walking

as the battle for clean air
in Barrio Logan heats up
I want Quetzalcoatl
to keep his promise
to return
to avenge the deceivers
I want Quetzalcoatl
to spread his giant wings
and beat back the fumes
but, mostly, I want
the coughing to stop

in my heart though
I am glad I never prayed
to Quetzalcoatl because
as the battle for clean air
in Barrio Logan heats up
I know we don’t need
Quetzalcoatl
who is half-bird, half-serpent
or Ehecatl
even if he is the God of the Wind
because we have each other
and we’re going to win

Originally published on Jan. 11, 2014.

I recently moved to San Diego from Milwaukee, WI where I was a public defender. I am looking for life outside of law. My first passion is poetry and I am interested in the way the land speaks through the poet. If you can’t find me drinking too much coffee in Cafe Calabria, I’ll be on a rock somewhere in Joshua Tree.

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Will Falk

Will Falk moved to the West Coast from Milwaukee, WI where he was a public defender. His first passion is poetry and his work is an effort to record the way the land is speaking. He feels the largest and most pressing issue confronting us today is the destruction of natural communities. He received a Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Chapter, 2016 Journalism award. He is currently living in Utah.

Latest posts by Will Falk (see all)

• Time to Escalate? First-Ever Rights of Nature Lawsuit Dismissed - December 7, 2017
• The Rights of Nature and the Power of Law - October 18, 2017
• Why Does the Colorado River Need to Sue For Rights? - September 25, 2017