Today, the Dream Act has been temporarily dashed and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is now history.
Equality and fair treatment are issues that are important to me. But there are so many other things I could be doing instead of fighting for the Dream Act and supporting the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell… like building up my new consulting business.
But I can’t stop.
Whenever I think of this dilemma, I think of my friend, who is no longer with us, Jose Antonio Burciaga (1940-1996). He was a writer, painter, humorist (one of the original founders of Culture Clash), and my Resident Fellow at Stanford (along with his amazing wife Cecilia). He wrote a poem called “La Verdad” and I’d like to share it with you.
La Verdad*
La verdad es que me canso.
me canso de gritar,
me canso de escribir,
me canso de pintar,
pero no se más que gritar,
escribir y pintar.
The Truth (my translation)
The truth is that I get tired.
i get tired of yelling,
i get tired of writing,
i get tired of painting,
but i only know how to yell,
write and paint.
*From “La Verdad”, in “Undocumented Love/Amor Indocumentado”, Chusma House Publications, San Jose, CA, 1992.
“La Verdad” originally appeard in Restless Serpents, 1976.
I found the poem listed here (PDF).