They Blamed It On Reds!

From: Nicaragua, Yo Te Canto Besos, Balas, y Sueños de Libertad

They Blamed It On Reds!
Roberto Vargas, 1980


Vincent Gutiérrez died
At the hands of mercenaries
In the Mission on Mother's Day
The people rose together and
Marched at his funeral procession
Beginning at St. Peter's Church
Down 24th St. to South Van Ness St.
Finally boarding the following cars
And driving the rest of the way
To Holy Cross Cemetary, Colma
Thursday May 14th Aztlán/Babylon


I

Thursday . . . crying . . . St. Peter's Church . . . organ
Incense . . . lágrimas . . . 10:30 morning . . . sun/hot
Faces . . . old/young . . . Vincent gone
Anger/love . . . Chente gone now
Eunuch chronicles plastered with lies
Reds, Reds melting in American minds
Brought to you in living color by CBS
Dial soap and the puppet-coroners
Of the TV world . . .
(“Reds will make you dead” they squeal)
And the priest lites another candle/


II

Tears (saladas) . . . dry lips
Black hearse yawns/swallows
18 years of Chente . . . gone
Not killed in Cambodia . . . but war
(Padre nuestro que está en los . . . )
Walking now . . . the last 24th St.
Business as usual . . . slower
Hundreds of sisters/brothers
Following behind/in you
Angered in love walking
Past walls of cornucopia
Solid-lined by Pig-nalgas
7-up signs gleaming
Sears . . . Bank of America
Old Glory still . . . stop/go
Madre/Hija/Esposa . . . crying
Llantos . . . stop/go
Chente en el medio de Mayo
Gone !
And the priest raises the chalice
(“This is my body This is my blood.”)


III

South Van Ness red light
In cars now pollution (F – 310)
Firestone Rent-A-Limosine stop/go
The mechanical centipede slowed
by Progress stop/go
Business as usual
“¡Hijo, hijo . . . te han asesinado!”
I just tapped him across the . . .
Business as usual . . . stop/go


IV

Look back
Look back Chnete . . . si puedes
Remember the Roach Pad hunger
Joys . . . high, sorrows?
Mission sidewalks (BART-raped)
Hum goodbye pa siempre carnal
But the genocide trial begins su fin
Trembling with the weight of our guns . . ./
Chente 18 brown and dead
In the land of E Pluribus Unum
Dead in the land of the Apollos 13/
Edsel . . . Titanic . . . U2 and Gary Powers
Mission Hi . . . State College
And business as usual/


V

Now passing local draft board
Vision of monsoon flies
Bloodsmell cheeks of bronze
Organisms shell pierced screams of death
Vietnam! Vietnam!
Chente dies everywhere
(Blame the Reds!)
Cambodia . . . brown and 18 . . . Laos
Chente dead in Babylon
(Blame the Reds!)
En los barrios de Guatemala
San Francisco o Mississippi
(Blame the Reds!)


VI

Holy Cross . . . silent in wait
Lágrimas de madre soak black lace
Hijo. Hijo no te vayas
Wife wails ripped/soul fright
alone now . . .
Chente flows into open wound
In earth . . . magic dance of
Mayan ancestors . . . tears
Silent war drums sound
Chente killed by The Guardians
of Enterprise
Their red white and blue
Phallic symbols thrust deep
in our throats . . .
Moist dirt falls . . . covers
Ashes to ashes . . . peace brother
Peace . . . business as usual
“Blame it on Reds!”



Mayo 15, 1970
Aztlán/Babylon


*Thank you to Alejandro Murgía for the contribution of this poem.