The idea for the "Poets Facing the Wall" anthology was born right on the U.S. - Mexico border. It has been both the anti-Mexican/immigrant rhetoric and the deafening silence or apathy of most Americans including many living along the border that made the need for such a publication a must. People need to realize what this wall truly represents. At a time when border crossings are down, and many immigrants are actually going back south to their respective homes, why is the wall more needed now than when the influx was higher? Is its true purpose to stop people from coming in? Or could it be that it is meant as a symbol to cast a message broadly and clearly to the world beyond our southern border?
"DON'T STEP IN MY YARD. EVEN IF YOU ARE RUNNING FROM DANGER. I DON'T CARE. STAY OUT!" The Statue of Liberty stands on an island turning its eyes toward Europe with a soft demeanor, gently posed holding the torch to light the way for the weary traveler seeking refuge from the darkness of the world they have left behind. The Statue of Liberty's torch is the light that represents the dream of a better future, where the sun shines equally upon all who look to it seeking its warmth. The statue itself is the guardian and guarantor of that promise. According to the National Park Service's website, "The torch is a symbol of enlightenment. The Statue of Liberty's torch lights the way to freedom showing us the path to Liberty. Even the Statue's official name represents her most important symbol 'Liberty Enlightening the World'." By contrast, what does a non-human-like and unnecessary barrier say when its faceless and eyeless semblance stares coldly at our neighbors in Latin America? It speaks of a greater problem than illegal immigration. It speaks of an inability to recognize that without immigration, the U.S. would have been impossible. People in our country like and respect those who "tell it like it is". And in this case, it is a fact that our country was founded by illegal immigrants first, then legal immigration became the preferred institutionalized method of entry. But there are exceptions. Asylum seekers and refugees must be given a chance to be heard and helped. Especially, since data shows that the vast majority of all immigrants actually prop up our economy; they do not drain it. But then the question of race comes into play. And that is the biggest obstacle to our future. Perhaps, more than anything, the wall will represent not the need for security form evildoers, but the failure to defeat false beliefs of racial superiority. This has been the greatest stain in our past. The cement holding the construction of those false beliefs must not be allowed to solidify, for like all walls that have ever been erected to divide it will not succeed. Only bridges and roads can take humanity onward toward the future. Let this anthology assist in taking a step in that direction. Below is the list of accepted works and their authors. (Not in order of appearance in the final publication.) An Inheritance of Fear By Jill Evans As We Forgive Those By Roger Sippl Ave Blanca Seres Jaime Magaña Blue Again By C. R. Resetarits BLUES FOR JOSE ANTONIO ELENA RODRIGUEZ (Traditional 12 Bar Blues Song) by Laurie Jurs Construction of First Border Wall Segment to Begin in a South Texas Wildlife Refuge By Kristin Barendsen THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HELD AND HELD by Catherine Lee My Exit By Richard Nester -The Greatest, Most Beautiful Soliloquy EVER! -Ten Commandments Updated By Rick Blum Guardian of the Mountains By Michael Garrigan -I Am Chicano -You Make the Call By Sammy Ybarra Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness By Miranda Rocha Myopia of belonging By Sunayna Pal Northward Bound By Ana Maria Fores Tamayo -Nuestros niños -Tinta negra By Xanath Carraza Oh, Say Can You See By Wendy Baron On Day 1, We Will Begin Working By Natalie D-Napoleon -Wide Open -The Fool’s Game -Blurred Vision By Teri Garcia-Ruiz -ok | walk on the way -yr assignment spend a day here along By Steven Alvarez -Blood, Sweat and Tears -Conflict -Survival By Vanessa Caraveo Hollywood By Sharon Lundy Musings by Sheena Pillai Singh -Song for America XXIII (the nation’s anthem) -Song for America XXV -Song for America XXVIII (for Marvin Gaye) By Fernando Esteban Flores -De este lado del muro -Rima infantil By Gabriel González Núñez Ten Feet Higher By Richard King Perkins II The Promised Wall By Kimmy Alan -Shelter -This Just In -Wall By Sandra Anfang -Closure -more harm than good By Linda M. Crate -Walls Divide Us -Mr. Trump Tear Down This Wall By John “Jake” Cosmos Aller Walking Around By John M. Bellinger “A, Homeboy” by Johnny Barboza -The Wall -Lament for Emma Lazarus -Ghost Wall By Robbi Nester We are Sisters! By Patty York Raymond -What I Need Now -In Concert By Dorothy Baird -The Travel North -Keep my dream Alive By Jose Rafael Castilleja -GRETEL -WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE -CROSSINGS By Jude Brigley Borradores by Octavio Quintanilla Thanks to all of the poets who submitted their work for evaluation. The accepted submissions are of great significance and literary quality. The poems along with the introduction by Enclave Magazine's founder and editor, Hector Luis Alamo, make this anthology one of the most important and well-crafted we have put together. I am proud to have my name associated with this project. It should become required reading for public schools, colleges, and universities. We are looking to a late October or early November publication. We will announce an official publishing date in less than two weeks. |
AuthorGabriel H. Sanchez is an author, poet, actor, editor, and publisher from the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas, on the border with Mexico. Gabriel is the author of "Once Upon a Bad Hombre," "The X Series," "The Martian Ones: Tales of Human Folly," and "The Fluid Chicano." You can read more about him and his other projects at gabrielhugo.com or on his Facebook page: @gabrielhugoauthor. Categories
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