Fifth Anniversary

Exactly five years ago (plus one week) a man arrived in San Antonio by Greyhound. The origin of his bus journey had been Tennessee, where he had literally lost everything. He lost his job, and couldn't find another, even a menial job. His unemployment was soon to run out. He totaled his car in the same intersection where a couple years earlier he'd totaled another. His dear cat died (of old age and overweight). His family was even dearer to him -- but because he didn't express this, let alone act on it as a model father and husband, he had lost them, too.

And so, five years ago he arrived in the Alamo City. In effect the bus he rode in on was a long grey hearse wearing a grey dog and bearing at least one dead man.

San Antonio, however, is named after the patron saint of lost items. Here, in St. Anthony's city this man found healing and new raison d'etre. He found fairly decent and inexpensive lodging, a decent job, and a church "family". When in February the city celebrated its Western and cattle connection with the annual Rodeo he found enjoyment again. As the South Texas landscape blossomed with spring wildflowers, proclaiming the return of life after the drear winter, he too returned to life abundant.

Such is the story of yours truly during the past five years, sojourning in San Antonio. That Year of Our Lord 2002 was a major turning point of life, up from the abyss (if not the grave). Indeed, I've written a poem about that year. It was my first effort to write something bilingual. Actually, it's a code-switching poem. "Code-switching" is what many fluent speakers of Spanish and English do here: in mid-sentence they will switch from the one language to the other, and a few sentences later in mid-sentence switch back to the first language. It's fascinating to listen to this during a conversation. Truly, my poem might be better heard (or read aloud to oneself), because I code-switch in mid-word at one point!

My poem's title is "Dos Mil Dos: el año of arriving in San Antonio" (the English is lined under the Spanish, like a sub-title). I've written other poems these past five years; some express my response to this or that aspect of this city. Some are in English, some in Spanish, but I think that so far "Dos Mil Dos: el año. . ." is the only code-switching poem I've written. Eventually, I may publish a book of poetry, to include these poems as well as ones I wrote while living in Devine or in Clarksville, Tennessee. I'm also writing a novel, set in San Antonio during the Christmas holiday season and culminating in La Gran Posada.

Look for them on you favorite bookstore's shelf -- just not real soon!