yo conocí a juan
i knew juan

i knew juan when we cruised 38th (boulevard) tank-topped
and bronzed on the aztec hunt.

i knew juan when he copped his first dime bag from the
jets and that first headache from the mala hierba.

i knew juan when we prayed to the stars wishing our
skyscrapers were earth-built temples and that our stone
and broken glass were grass laiden courts.

i knew juan when he turned on the hydros in front of
elitch's and our ride hopped and scraped like a comet in
front of our bronzed majas.

i knew juan when we were scoping the hood. "shit, what
the fuck you lookin' at? fuckin' honkey."

i knew juan when we and our parents marched on the
capital backing la raza.

i knew juan when the chotas shanked us and then threw us
in jive hall.

i even knew juan when he dropped out, got maria
pregnant, left for the marines, took up coke and was
sprayed in a varios unidos chicanos drive-by for 200
pesos.

i knew juan as much as i could or thought, but with
carnales hearts step to the beat of dangerously
beautiful drums.

i knew juan before he was born and even after his blood
sopped drive-by; we are raza-hermanos
born of reckless music and chance.

---

Table of Contents
This magazine is produced by the Write Place
and is funded through a St. Cloud State University
(St. Cloud, Minnesota) Cultural Diversity Committee allocation.
Contributors retain all rights to their work.

---

©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000Kaleidoscope

Last update: 10 May 2000

URL: http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/kaleidoscope/volume2/juan.html

---

[ Staff | Submission Guidelines]