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These poems show the power of our community, the wisdom of our ancestry, and the perseverance of spirit. There’s pride, respect, and medicine in these poems.
Manuel González, City of Albuquerque Poet Laureate (2016-2018), began his career in the poetry slam and has represented Albuquerque four times as a member of the Albuquerque poetry slam team. After working in Albuquerque’s poetry community for 6 yrs, Manuel began to use slam poetry to help local youth find positive and constructive ways to deal with life's pressures. Manuel began teaching workshops on self-expression through poetry in high schools, youth detention centers and also started facilitating art therapy programs to help at-risk and incarcerated youth. In 2014, Manuel started Low Writing at El Chante, a free bi-monthly writer’s group open to all members of the community. In 2016, Manuel was selected as Albuquerque's 3rd poet laureate and has continued his passion for helping others heal and express themselves through poetry. Manuel has appeared on the PBS show, ¡COLORES!: My word is my power and on ¡COLORES! 9/23/2017and has two collections of his poetry published entitled, But my friends call me Burque…. and Om Boy (Swimming with Elephants Press) with his third collection Duende de Burque: Albuquerque Musings (UNM Press) coming Spring 2021. Currently Manuel is working with the University of New Mexico Chicana/Chicano Studies program as a consultant.
Empress of Eternity
by Manuel Gonzalez
An ekphrastic poem inspired by “compass and key” by Carlos Quinto
I
Repeated mantras
Unlock consciousness.
The Empress sits
On her throne.
Earth mother, cloaked in awareness,
knows
The truth behind the veil,
As the holy angel of death
Prostrates himself before
Her diamond-studded shoes.
The enchantress
High priestess of the moon
Purest and most exalted
Spiritual form of Isis
Incomparably dazzling
Guardian of the key
Guadalupe Tonantzin
II
Repeated mantras
Unlock consciousness
With iris dilated
We see eternity
Dancing
Ring around the rosie
Concentric circles
Completing cycles
Time
Space
The compass IS the key!
To unlock and enter buddha’s center
Life and death
Symmetry and balance
Powerful vulnerability
Creating perfect circles
The sacred idea behind the form
Flower of life
Seeing deep inside
To the center of
formlessness
III
Repeated mantras
Unlock consciousness
The empress of the wilderness
Steps on the compass that
Creates perfection
While Quetzalcoatl coils
Around another egg
Another epoch
Another aeon
From every direction nebulas shine
To help the lotus to open and
Kundalini to climb
Goddess of the green
With her heart chakra
Exposed
Fearless in her vulnerability
Christ is but a seed
And with enough faith will grow into a tree
Sacred geometry
To measure the circumference of reality
Ritual and ceremony
Locks and keys
To unlock blocked chakras
She is grounded in intuition and
Imagination
The inspiration that comes when the
Circle is complete
XICANOPOET
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