Care of every single cell of mine
I dare say rebel

Girl in simple snag
Girl full of braven handles on

Sword brought home from the past
Smile thick in the breeze

Silk we battled
With eyes well placed

With hearts as blue
the armies of a traitor so very close

The city we dragged into the open
Fierce killed and flower fanned

The care of every single cell of mine
Should we ever not fight back

This is all I know,
My argonaut friends

Reyes Cárdenas, born in Seguin, Texas, is a Chicano poet whose sharp wit and satirical style have made him a distinctive voice in American literature. Emerging in the 1970s, he published works such as Anti-Bicicleta Haiku, Survivors of the Chicano Titanic, and I Was Never a Militant Chicano, blending humor, cultural critique, and everyday life. His later collections, including Chicano Poet: Poems 1970–2010 and Tortured Barrio Songs, cemented his reputation as a chronicler of Chicano identity, politics, and resilience, balancing biting irony with compassion and insight.