"THE DEVIL"

[AGUILAR MARRERO]

OH YES HE DID ON A WARM AND SUNNY DAY,
THE DEVIL WORE RED AND WHITE AND A SMIDGEN OF GREY.

HE FLEW ACROSS THE OCEAN, SEARCHING FOR HIS PRIZE,
INSTEAD HE SAW A COUPLE OF ISLANDS WE CALLED PARADISE.

THIS WAS'NT A VISIT OF CURIOUSITY OR JUST A MOMENT OF PMSing,
NO! NO! NO! THIS WAS A CALCULATED DESIGNED EVENT, ALL OF HIS OWN MAKING.

HE ARRIVED WITH DISCIPLES AND LADIES OF THREE,
AND MET ALL THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED TO BE FREE.

WITH A SILVER FORKED TONGUE,
AND BREATH FROM HIS LUNG.

YOU WOULD THINK HE WAS AT A POETS CONVENTION,
SPITTING THE SPOKEN WORD, AS IF IT WERE HIS OWN INVENTION.

THIS TIME IT WAS'NT THE SNAKE IN THE GARDEN AND APPLE IN HAND,
THIS WAS THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF A PEOPLE, A CULTURE, A CLAN.

HE SWEPT THROUGH WITH TAIL OF IRON AND STEEL,
HAD HIS WAY WITH YOUR GREAT, GREAT, GREAT ,GREAT, GREAT GRANDMOTHER. NOW HOW DO YOU FEEL.

HE SPREAD HIS VICIOUS VIRUS AND KILLED YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
AS FAR AS HE WAS CONCERNED, THERE'D BE NOONE WHO MISSED US,

THEN LEFT THEM TO THEIR DEAD AND LEFT THEM TO THEIR DYING,
THERE WAS ONLY ONE SOUND TO BE HEARD, THE ECHOES OF THEIR CRYING.

THE DEMON RETURNED THREE ADDITIONAL TIMES TO MAKE SURE HE HAD WIPED US OUT,
IN CASE SOMEONE HAD ANY DOUBT.

BUT WHAT HE DIDN'T KNOW IS THAT WE SURVIVED,
TO TELL THE TRUTH AND THAT WE WERE STILL ALIVE.

ALIVE WITHIN YOU, YOU, AND YOU,
WE HAVE LONG PAST THE TIME OF CRYING,
WE HAVE A VOICE AND WE ARE SCREAMING.
DO YOU HEAR THE SCREAMING? I HEAR THE SCREAMING,
I HEAR THE SCREAMING WHEN MY NITIOU AND NATIAO SISTERS AND BROTHERS SPEAK,
I HEAR THE SCREAMING WHEN OUR KACIQUES, BEHIQUES, AND ELDERS SPEAK
I HEAR THE SCREAMING WHEN DEFINITION, G-POSITIVE, AND REINA SPEAK. (POETS)
I HEAR THE SCREAMING WHEN BLAZE-A-PAGE, TAINA, AND DR. LOCO, SPEAK. (POETS)
OR MARIPOSA, LA BURJA, PRISONERA, OR EL GRITO DE POETA SPEAK. (POETS)

LISTEN DEVIL, YOU CAN'T CHANGE YOUR COLOR, OR YOUR FOUL SMELL,
WE WILL ALWAYS CURSE YOUR SPIRIT AND SOUL, STRAIGHT TO HELL.

YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR NAME FROM ONE TO ANOTHER,
BUT YOU WILL ALWAYS BE TO US, A MURDERING MOTHER.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN WONDERING WHAT WAS THE DEVILS OTHER NAME.

DON'T GET IT TWISTED
IT WAS CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
THE ONE AND THE SAME

AGUILAR OF "TAINO SPIRIT"
COPYRIGHT 2008

[AGUILAR MARRERO]

NO I WAS'NT FEELING THESE WORDS WHEN I WAS PAINTING THIS. I WAS SITTING IN A BEAUTIFUL AND HAPPY MOOD. THINKING OF OUR PEOPLE LAUGHING AND HAVING FUN. THE POEM CAME WHEN I HEARD THAT THEY WERE GOING AHEAD TO PUT UP THE 316FT STATUE IN PUERTO RICO AND WHAT CAME INTO MY MIND WAS, WOULD THE JEWISH PEOPLE PUT UP A STATUE OF HITLER. DO THEY HATE THE GERMANS? NO THEY HATE THE MAN, THE LEADER. THE POEM SPILLED OUT LIKE A WATERFALL. I HAVE SPANISH BLOOD WITHIN ME AND STILL HONOR THAT. BUT I DONT HAVE TO HONOR THE CAPTAIN, THE ARCHITECT, THE DESIGNER, THE HEAD, THE MAN, THE LEADER, THE DEVIL. THINGS WOULD HAVE STILL BEEN THE SAME WITH THE MIXING AND THE THREE CULTURES WITHOUT THE SLAUGHTER. ANYWAY I'D RATHER BE THINKING OF HOW OUR PEOPLE WERE, HAPPY, NOBLE, AND BEAUTIFUL. SOMEONE WANTED ME TO PAINT A PICTURE OF THE TIME WHEN THE PEOPLE FOUND OUT THEY WERE'NT GODS AND DROWNED THEM. I REFUSED. WHY? PEOPLE WHO KNOW NOTHING OF OUR CULTURE LOOK AT THAT AND THINK "SAVAGES". THEY DONT SEE WHAT LED UP TO THAT POINT. THE PAINTING WOULD BE A MOMENT IN TIME WITH NO EXPLAINATION OF WHY. THE PEOPLE NEED TO SEE WHO WE WERE, WHAT WE LOOKED LIKE, WHAT LOVE OF LIFE WAS TO US AND THAT WE DID NOT FADE AWAY. GUAKIA TAINO (WE ARE TAINO) GUAKIA YAHABO (WE ARE HERE) THANK YOU AGUILAR

[Theodore R. Morris]

Thanks for the kind words about my art. Your poem is very strong...too bad the U.S. has such heroes that commited genocide.

[Miguel Sague Jr]

Jan Jan Brother!!!!!