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.