A Lonely Sea Of Memories

fighting a genetic history of mental disease

Fear, my omnipotent ocean
Beautiful dark blue vastness
Of all the soon to be forgotten
Turned to non-cohesive, memories
To remember like a cool ice drink of
Water under the hot Texas summer
Refreshing, restoring, rebooting
My past, when I was younger
Diligently working the south Texas fields
With my Mexican parents, my brothers
My father, rewarding us with a cold, water something
For a job well sweated, loads of fresh onions
To be delivered to the sea of food markets
As my secret unveils, losing mental capacities
As everyone with family history knew it would happen
Learning to accept it like my mother, my grandmother
I shall clutch Don Quixote cast upon a lonely sea
Hoping at best to be enjoyed, maybe even understood
As a man on his last voyage from that which eludes him

Juan Manuel Perez is the author of Another Menudo Sunday (2007), O’ Dark Heaven: A Response To Suzette Haden Elgin’s Definition Of Horror (2009), WUI: Written Under The Influence Of Trinidad Sanchez, Jr. (2011), and six poetry chapbooks. Juan is the 2011-2012 Poet Laureate for the San Antonio Poets’ Association. He has also been a featured reader at many poetry venues around the state of Texas and beyond. His work has appeared in descant, Elegant Rage, San Antonio Express-News, Arts United San Antonio Magazine, La Bloga, New Texas, Concho River Review, The Langdon Review Of The Arts In Texas, The Rhysling Anthology, The Mayo Review, many other publications.