A Letter To Cecilio Garcia-Camarillo

Dear Cecilio,

In the years since you left us, there are so many things
I wish I could share with you, ask you opinions of this
or that poem, apologize to you for forgetting about
La Raza, for neglecting the hopes of carnalismo, for dis-
respecting las hermanas, for taking poetry in so many
wrong directions, for becoming an asshole, for being
a quitter sometimes. I don’t know how you did it, always
so selfless, almost as if you yourself were the Other. I
I don’t mean to cry on your shoulder, but I miss you so
much, carnal, brother, mentor, hero, friend. I am trying
to get back on the right road, and asking your help.

Your faithful servant,
Reyes Cardenas