Go Back Where You Came From (for Beverly) October 10th, 2019 posted by Val Katagiri

Contributed by poet/author Tony Robles

Go back to the mountain
Of your heart
Carved with your poem
Your story

Go back to the
Skin scarred
Soil of your name
Before the teachers
Mispronounced it

Go back to the
Strong smell of who
You are, lingering in
Pots and pans smouldering
In the fire that is you

Go back to when
Your words betrayed
Your throat in
A shadow of shame

And somebody
Else’s laughter

Go back and get it
Back, whatever it is
Or whatever it isn’t

Go back to your face

Will it
Recognize you?

Go back
Where you came from

Is it everywhere,
No where?

Go back

(C) 2019 Tony Robles

BIO:  Tony Robles – the People’s poet – was born in San Francisco. He is the author of two books of poetry and short stories, Cool Don’t Live Here No More – A letter to San Francisco and Fingerprints of a Hunger Strike. His poem, The Beekeeper, was featured in Where Are You From?: An Anthology of Asian American Writing. Tony was awarded the San Francisco Arts Commission Individual Literary Artist grant 2019-2020. He has worked as a tenants’ rights advocate and served as board president of Manilatown Heritage Foundation, following in the footsteps of his uncle, the late Manilatown poet Al Robles. Tony currently lives in North Carolina where he is working on his first novel.