Ongoing Contributor, Manny Moreno, Poet and Elder, Yaqui Tribe - Writes about Today's World... And More...

 

THE DEFINING

They who try to define me

Want to confine me

But I know

Where I come from

Who I am

I was born

A Moreno

Recorded on paper

A hyphenated American

Racially profiled from the gate

My future mapped out 

By colonized design

To exist under their control

For all of my life

My mind

My spirit

My soul

The European systems

Values

Religious

Distorted History

Their indoctrinations

Precepts

Laws

Entertainment

Oaths

Their Everything

Everything belonging to them

Leaves me naked

To society and the world

My identity determined by

Their definition

Of who I am

How I'm to be regarded as

Nothing more than a shell

Of my ancestral heritage

Of no consequence

No value

Dehumanized

To play the role they

Have created for me

To be

To be accepted

Total assimilation

An imposter to myself

A ball of confusion

A mongrel at best

Rage

My response to all

They have destroyed

And continue to destroy

Is to keep learning

Itom Yoem noki, our ancient language

Our history and culture

To keep our traditions alive

To honor our ancestors

Itepo emouttiak bwe'ituk te Yoeme/Yaqui

I am proud to be Yaqui

I owe no explanations

I have no need to justify

I don't have to ask for permission

I am just responding to what has

Been forced upon me

For centuries

And like my ancestors before me

I live with their inheritance

The fire of resistance

A ceremony

A song

A prayer

Truth

Cannot be extinguished

Cannot be denied

Paas into waata / Peace and love.

~~~~

Lioj em chaniavu, ketchem allea.

It's a pretty sunny morning. Got to get going to take care of business.

Later on stopping for a while at the water and drop some tobacco.

How are you all doing on this new day?

Some people have good medicine.

Some people have bad medicine.

Some people have no medicine.

Some people just like to talk like they know something.

Today is a good day to give thanks for this breath of life for ourselves, and for others.

And for this sick world, to heal.

May this day be a grateful one. A happy one.

Nin jiaksi jiba euwate.

~~~~

A smile a Day

This elderly woman

Lived on the corner of

South Jupiter and Comet Street

in a nice big mobile home

She kept sparkling clean outside

No weeds or litter on the grounds

Frail and pale

She was

Hair white as snow

Gently

Slowly

Step by Step

Hunched over

She kept on

Going

I remember when

I first waved at her

in passing how

She never waved back

As she was glancing

I tool it personal for a long tme

But I kept on

Waving anyway

Whenever I passed by.

One day

She finally smiled

At me and waved

It made my day brighter

And from then on

She always did

Just Wondering

How would life be

All around for everyone

If time were devoted

To examining ourselves

To see where our humanity

Is stacked up against

Decency

Respect

Patience

Love

Forgiveness

Charity

I fall short

On things I never noticed about me

But I try to change

The unhealthy

Unspiritual things

Within me

Day by day

Growth is like a blade

Of sweet grass I planted

Years ago

And continue to water

Change is a slog

Doesn't happen overnight

Hurts and scares

Fears the unknown

I challenged myself

It was worth the sacrifice

I have more

Respect for myself

For life

More careful

How I walk

Daily in the World

A common man

~~~~

Donations. ( Art and books) - The Elder- A Tribute / 12.00 / 4.00 shipping

@monolin

thank you.

Folks, I agree with one of the men who spoke that our Native tribes are the least of who should be considered an immigrant! Yet, Trump who is indeed an immigrant by his heritage, as are all of us, cares only that they are NOT White!  This type of discrimination has got to stop...or else all the rich white supremacist men will be the only ones living in the United States! May God Be with ALL His Children...

Gabby

Reuniting with Brother Manny Monolyn Moreno - Elder - Poet - Author - Painter - Friend

We Are ALL God's Children!

 

Who cares anymore?

I feel like I'm wasting my time trying to preserve what I've been taught by elders, and others, and have learned over a lifetime, through my books now. My commitments and dedication. But then I remember why I must.

I didn't dedicate and sacrifice myself to do the painstaking works to be liked or admired. I've looked, listened, learned, and produced to share and pass on, our stories, of our time, of our ancestors, and our struggles.

I'm at the age where I should be pacing myself. Taking it easy. Giving back. But it's turned out to be impossible. So I cope with it. No one is to blame. Not bitter.

Anyway, may Grandfather have pity on me, and us all.

( me and Elder Lee, RIP )

Books I've written :

The Bridge is Gone / poems
The Elder / A Tribute
Longview Road / poems
Santa Nella Blues / poems
Scared - The Healing / memoir
revised and edited.

Scared- The Healing 243 pgs. has been completed and in process to get published hopefully soon with help.

https://cash.app/$mrmonolin

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/monolin

Manny reads from his latest award-winning book

Santa Nella Blues

https://www.facebook.com/YAQUIME

Folks, like me, Manny has suffered through having his Facebook site lost, along with work that he had shared over many years. He now uses Manny Anthony Moreno on Facebook, adjusting, just as I did, to whatever "problems" that seem to occur much too often without explanation, in my opinion. In fact, I had lost touch with Manny for so long I began to track him down... I don't want to allow that to happen again. And, I hope you will choose to follow Manny, and me, GA Bixler, on Facebook since we both lost our "history" on this site... Both of us had many contacts which are not easily able to be rebuilt... 

It was reported this morning on MSNOW that the supposed removal of the 700 ICE members from Minneapolis, might actually be moving into the areas of where indigenous tribes are located in the same state!

It is quite clear that ICE is being used as a private army by this president working to respond to his DEI program which he announced immediately, to remove any individuals who are not, essentially, white males... Please consider that these people have already had to fight for some amount of dedicated land even though they were here on the north america continent before WE WERE!

Accountability.

To hold yourself to account for your actions. Not to shift blame on others.
Trying to hide the misguided crap you do to make yourself look righteous, when others know the truth, hurts only you.
That's foolish.
Growth comes from being honest about and with yourself, for what you've done, and working on change. But that takes self-honesty and courage.
"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time".
Be true to yourself. And maybe healing will take place. Why mask the shame to look righteous?
Today feeling ill all day and now, I recieved some very productive calls from people excited about the talking circle, women and men. Even from a deported veteran who would like to have one on zoom.
Seeds are being planted and hopefully people will come together to find some healing.
Thank you all who called. I'm inspired by you.
My heart feels your hope.
May our prayers guide us and bring it to fruition.

A'ho 

You'll be seeing more from our friend, Manny, moving forward!

God Bless

Gabby

Guest Blogger, Author, Artist, Elder...and Adopted Brother, Manny Moreno, Shares His Poetic Words of Change in America!

 On... Dreading the changes happening in the San Joaquin Valley of California

Grandpa Hawk perched in a tree

looked down at me on a stump

gazing at fields being primed

for the advancement of the times

and asked unassumingly:

What is in your heart?

And so I began to speak;

I dread this alien ratrace

mirrored in congested big city phlegm

manifest-destiny all over again

mixing into this country world

like oil with water

strangers with shark-like expressions

convoluting the landscape

in Hummers Volvos SUVs

along with their collective wannabes

I dread this transformation

 of new homes and buildings

expanding like popcorn

 no locals can afford

I dread this attack of the new-age Borg;

Resistance Is Futile-You Must Assimilate

I dread these pimps of poorly planned progress

for pathetic self-profit

I dread taking scenic drives in the country

thundering with traffic thick as bees on honey

being forced to find places away from

familiar places where technology

yet has targeted its thoughtless tentacles

and capitalist clowns have yet proclaimed

their arrogant game of eminent domain

places where open spaces still be free of idiot boxes

blasting gangster obscenities

where no yuppies have fenced off areas once always open and free

of eyes of steel and robotic gates and fortresses of concrete

high as prison walls

and grandpa Hawk looked at me 

with eyes of wisdom and said;

listen,

listen to us

winged ones

four leggeds

insects

trees

rivers

as we sing our death

songs,

then grandpa Hawk flew

 off into the blue,

and I rose from the stump

for a bulldozer was coming

and I could no longer stay.

See Review of Scared

I lived in my present home, surrounded by 13 acres of trees, and no other home in view, when I first started talking to Manny and reading his words... It has been my privilege to learn more about him each time we connect, mostly on Facebook... Now, as I reread this poem which speaks of change in the area where he lives, I cannot but help to wish that Manny could live in my area of the world, where deer roam into my yard, 'possum and 'coon come to eat along with my cats... and in the distance, sounds of farm animals are heard from the home place of a new, nearby neighbor who I have not even met... Still, we know we are nearby, and that we live in a country where quiet is supreme most of the time, until the winds come, the rain beats on our roofs... Nature surrounds each of the homes in the area--and we enjoy our beloved land. 

Manny, I know, has settled in a lone place, where nobody surrounds him as well... Two loners, perhaps, that still enjoy touching base from time to time over a computer that brings us closer than we could ever have been in life... 

Manny, it is good to have you share your words, once again, here at Book Readers Heaven! But, I had to laugh as I discovered still another reason we are connected. My brother, you, too, have met the Borg... and decided, we were not to be assimilated! LOL We are as free as we can be here in America! May we continue living in this democracy, free to be all that we can be... Let us Pray to God that we can see a far future of that freedom which is now threatened by those who want power over others... And allow it to continue until we meet our grandfathers/mothers...