Coyotes
Miles bleed into flashing trees and electrical lines.
There are millions of borders and railroad ties.
They say I have to pay the man
or ask Maria who sits on the bodega stools.
I want a clean cup of coffee.
You know, they used to grow
the beans in my hills.
And I want to sleep next to you
and forget this desert.
“Our wait will be very long,“ he says.
I kill time blackening water jugs.
Children mend fishing nets for hammocks.
They want to see who is the fastest running away from me.
A man looks at me
and because I am a stranger, says,
“My father died in my arms.”
Do you hear the coyotes?
Do you hear the owls hooting?
Let’s not walk no more,
What else is there to prove?
We’ve given them even our youth.
Arturo Magana Amaya (2023) Nostalgias de Noviembre: Poemas
Christmas 2025.
There are shadows on my doorstep and rough men on every corner. I desperately want to wish everyone a joyful holiday, I sincerely do, but the weight of the moment is giving me pause. Injustice is so common these days, both at home and thousands of miles away.
I want to gather a righteous army and stand up against the injustice.
Simultaneously, I want to hide.
I was regularly assaulted* at school when I was a child, so I learned a million ways to avoid conflict. In the face of violence I learned to conflate “peace” with being small and nimble. But that model isn’t sustainable anymore. To quote Desmond Tutu, "If you are neutral in times of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
So my wish for all my family and friends this year is for us all to become large in the face of injustice. To become loud. To fuel our compassion with courage.
“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
* Interesting note: When I first wrote this, I referred to the violent assaults that I suffered as a child as being "beat up." Sounds pretty harmless, almost quaint in a "boys will be boys" sort of way. It's revealing that even I make a habit of re-framing being a victim of violence as somehow acceptable.
Call To Action
Pope Francis once made some recommendations regarding sermons and homilies: one idea, one sentiment, and one invitation to action.
If you are so moved, the organization “No Mas Muertes” does incredible, literally life saving work along the US/Mexico border.
On the other side of the world, but in no less need, is the Islamic Relief Fund (https://irusa.org/middle-east/palestine) providing life saving support for the children in Gaza.
Please consider donating.