THE SPEAK EASY

I was raised in Las Vegas and have 4 siblings. I am college-educated and have a 15 year old girl. I fell in love with poetry about six years ago and started writing it about a year and a half ago. I absolutely love it! When I stand up there at the Enigma, I am at my happiest moment. I love expressing my thoughts in an uncensored manner (I don't use profanity but sometimes I raise issues that may be controversial). I am even more happy since my daughter started accompanying me to the readings. Another proud moment came when my beloved boyfriend wrote a poem too (he is a Kosovar refugee). I recited it for him and garnished a very good reaction (he is temporarily working in Atlanta). I believe poetry is an excellent way of raising issues that touch society. Thus, in a way it helps the community as a whole by opening the eyes and ears of the average person. I believe this is an important step towards rectifying or addressing salient issues that affect us all...Alma-Rosa Mendoza

Contact: AMend72794@aol.com

The Ballad of Francisco I. Madero

Your people were left smoldering
In the abyss of poverty
While the rich wined, dined and  enjoyed prosperity
Armed with intellectual  talent 
And a passion for the oppressed
You brought about the downfall
Of a vicious, and evil  fascist 
And upon taking over the presidency
You retained your high values and dignity
Unlike the string of rulers of Mexico's past
You refused to rob and exploit  the working class
You provided schools, food, and granted many liberties
But above all  you made the poor your main  priority
And like most men of  utmost honor
An assassin's bullet made you a martyr
Although your  flesh has vanished in the sand
Your  majestic soul  still roams  the land
Mexico feels your presence everyday
Even when the light of hope flickers away

You are everywhere!

You're in the soil your carcass plunged into upon your death
You're in the cracking  voice of a  starving child's last breath
You're in the sweet scent  of  flowers that  Mexico reaps
You're in the chill of the rain as the sky weeps
You're in the cool, fresh, blue waters of every stream
You're in the musical notes of birds as they sing
You're in the cool, fresh, blue waters of every stream
You're in the musical notes of birds as they sing
You're in the hauntingly  dark corners of every castle
You're in the pounding thunder  that  makes  earth  rattle
You're in the bright hues of a butterfly's wings
You're in the burning gel  of a mad bee's sting
You're  in the rich flow of your people's veins
You're in the pounding beat of their heart's pain

They will forever  deem you a hero of their nation
For having ignited the Mexican revolution
Your image will always roam in the depths of our memory
Your  poetic words will always grace the pages of history

Sometimes I imagine you standing at the crest of a mountain
bathing in the warm, soothing  rays of the  setting sun
I imagine a cool breeze  lifting you into the sky
sending you gliding over the land for which you died

And  I imagine  the hauntingly
beautiful  echo of your voice saying: 

And  I imagine  the hauntingly
beautiful  echo of your voice saying: 
Que viva Mexico,  que viva Mexico,  que viva Mexico!

written by Ms. Alma-Rosa Mendoza