Roberto Carlos Garcia

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BIO

Roberto Carlos Garcia's published works include the chapbook amores gitano (gypsy loves) Červená Barva Press 2013, his poems and prose have appeared or are forthcoming in Bold As Love Magazine, Entropy, PLUCK!: The Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture, The Rumpus, 5 AM Magazine, Wilderness House, Connotation Press- An Online Artifact, Poets/Artists, Levure Litteraire, and others. 

A native New Yorker, Roberto holds an MFA in Poetry and Poetry Translation from Drew University and is Instructor of English at Union County College. 

His website is www.robertocarlosgarcia.tumblr.com

Three poems


The angry Black man

 

in the room is

                 

                     invisible—

 

disarming, disengaging,

         not as dangerous

among the living as in

         the White      of imagination.

 

He be

Sanchez, Johnston, Harjo,

   Patel, and Shabazz,

he tip toe not tap dance,

mumble not mambo,

cry—not rain dance.

 

Let’s not simile, or

context the brother—

let’s just

piss him, poke him, push him

 

off

         comportment cliff,

music his meaning,

         funkify his fight.

 

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Angry Black man.

Angry Black man, who?

 

Me.

 

 

 

 


Identity repair poem

(after Thomas Sayers Ellis)

 

NÉGRO

 

Négrito lindo (pretty)

Négrito chulo (smooth)

Querido négro (beloved)

Maldito négro (damn!)

 

         SUGARCANE

 

Yeah, we go back

like sun & sweat

crack of the whip

greed & pain,

a trip across a cold salty ocean.

 

         AFRO-LATINO

 

Pedro Martinez

Jheri curls

Mongo Santamaria

Drums Drums Drums

Rum    Rum    Rum

 

 

         LATINO (BLACK HISPANIC) CHECK HERE

         LATINO (WHITE HISPANIC) CHECK HERE

 

I mean soy negro,

not Af-Am,

but I’m black.

Verdad?









 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© The Acentos Review 2015