"El Caballero" by Paul Harwitz

"El Caballero"

Copyright © 1998,

by

Paul Harwitz

(All Rights Reserved.)

"I'm still young," said El Caballero, "but today I feel old.

Our ancestors came here long ago, looking for gold.

Instead, they found los Indios and of land a great deal.

We eat well, but los Indios sometimes cannot find a meal."

The storekeeper had blond hair that was starting to go grey.

"Then, mi amigo, I, a proud caballero, wake up one fine day,

And am told that my country and my land have been taken away.

Without moving at all, I am suddenly in Los Estados Unidos.

"I'm told that now I must say for a pair, 'two' instead of 'dos.'

Now maybe I know a little how los Indios felt

When my ancestors told them they must wear pants with a belt

And speak Español instead of their own mother tongue."

The shop-owner wisely responded with a barely audible grunt.

"More and more of you come here every day.

Nothing we could do could keep you away.

You breed so fast, and we must bear the brunt."

El Caballero sighed.  Across the swelling town, his vision ranged.

"The laws have changed, the language has changed, the flag has changed.

The land itself, only the land, has stayed the same.

The courts and judges have been changed to favor those who recently came."

The storekeeper said, "They still teach Spanish in the school."

"That, too, will change, my friend.  Your people, I bet, will change the rule,

And teach Ingles, and Ingles only, in the school.

Then they'll say that no one should ever speak Spanish.

"They'll want for our language just to vanish.

We who were on top will drift down or be shoved down below.

But even worse off will be every Indio.

Even further down they will be forced to go."

"If it's going to get that bad, why don't you just go,"

Asked the blond man, "back on down to Mexico?"

"Till not so very long ago,"

Replied El Caballero, "this was México."