To the Newlyweds in the Barrio
Subtract the size of the world
from an empty stomach
and over the difference construct a roof.
Wall up hunger
give it no room to spread
to the eyes, hands and feet.
Later you'll be able to afford a TV
to bring you reports
of soldiers invading with their shadows.
But for the time
all you can afford is a radio
and guilt as you dance around your house.
by Rebecca Gonzales
from After Aztlan – Latino Poets of the Nineties
David R. Godine, Publisher, 1992