A View from the Barrios
© Carlos Raul Dufflar

I used to see the Tower of Power, 

not far from the tenements and projects,

in the heart of the Barrios,

As the voices of María, Julio, Ramón, Rosendo 

worked from sunrise to sunset. 

They never went late to work

They never missed a day in their life

They never spoke bad against their greedy bosses

And were always paid less than everybody else

Because greed was the heart of the bosses’ love

His stamp of approval was always

“Hey, I don’t make profit here

I don’t make money

I’m just getting by”

So he said

But on this early morning

On September,

When the birds will not sing 

A beautiful love song to you and me

The thunder of the dragon entered the tower of the mighty

Whose great badge of merit is 

Not being kind to a fellow human being

And cruelty is his great honor

In the name of misinjustice to the working class

How many lives hang in the balance

Must we sing a new song again?

Even for those people whose hearts were never touched

Whose faces we never seen

All life is precious

Keep the incense burning

For the leaves are aging

For each one has a story to tell before each one

Returns back to the earth

To Raimunda, my mother, to Carlos, my father

To my great-grandmother, to my great-grandfather

In our lives

We must never forget Inéz, Cholo, Ramón, Carmen,

Chino, Pedro Carlos, Eduardo, El Brasilero, Leocadia,

And all who made the Heart of El Barrio

As proud members of La Clase Obrera

With a gold star

For those workers who gave their lives

For those who live now

On this Day to Honor the Haymarket Martyrs

9/11/2001