What, to Chicanismo is the Poet?
What, to the Poet is Chicanismo?
Nolan L. Cabrera, PhD
The homie Matt Sedillo has done it again!
In his current collection of poetry Mexican Style, be prepared to go on a beautiful, intense, critical, community-oriented, wild ride. This work is socially critical of the numerous mechanisms of anti-Brownness and capitalist exploitation, while also being deeply introspective. It dives into celebrations of the culture while
also finding parts of the culture problematic.
The through point is always the poet. It may be the poet lodging cultural criticism (e.g., Ode to Calo). It may be a poet celebrating la cultura (e.g., Mexican Style). It may be a deep introspective exploration (e.g., I, Chicano and Sedillo on the Brink of Death). Collectively, they challenge the reader to see the world through
different eyes - eyes that both condemn oppression while also being honest about the inherent contradictions within our communities.
Reading this text, I was consistently reminded of Audrey Lorde's classic text "Poetry is not a luxury." Within this, she offered:
Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundation for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been possible.
Here in lies the beauty and possibility of Sedillo's poetry. By doing the deep work within the community, his insightful vision engages the possibility and potential for a future that currently does not exist.
Sedillo accomplishes this with a deeply humanizing text, and it is also one that asks a lot of the reader. The allusions come fast and frequently. Even as a professor (by courtesy) in Mexican American Studies at the University of Arizona, I still sometimes had to rely on the University of Google to understand the depth of Matt's
poetry (e.g., The Assassinations of Ruben Salazar). I mean this as a compliment, and a testament to the depth of this anthology.
One of the most striking features of this text is the boldness and courage to engage the full range of human experiences. While "LOL" is one of the most overused and misused terms in texting, I literally found myself LOLing in when reading the text like when Sedillo offered:
We didn't ask
To be born Mexican
We just got lucky
-Taco Trucks, Every Corner
Additionally, that poem spoke to a deep political engagement. The title came from "Agent Orange's" 2016 presidential campaign when his director of Latino outreach had the gall to say that a "Taco truck on every corner" would be the outcome if Hilary was elected - as if that is a bad thing!!! Flipping this ridiculous assessment on its head, Sedillo uses it as a way of envisioning a future where Brown folks are no longer minoritized. Within the poem, Sedillo lists the range of tacos available (Con asada, Lengua, Al Pastor, Carnitas, Cabeza, Chicharron, Cebolla y limon, Salsa y chile, Rojo y verde), making me hungry through cultural pride on the printed page.
This is the essence of Sedillo's text. There is humor coupled with searing social critique coupled with cultural exploration coupled with heartbreak. I was reminded of Cornel West's observation that, "Jesus weeps, but never laughs. Just like Socrates never cried." That is, many of our core archetypes of humanity are extremely limited in their range of human expression. In contrast, Sedillo's text boldly engages the full range of our collective Chicanismo - with all its tensions and contradictions.
He loves the community.
He is rooted in the community.
He is real about the community.
And
He is fiercely critical of White supremacy, capitalism, and
colonialism.
For me, to poem Mexican Style is the center of the text. Engaging with Mexican boxing leading to Mex
