Nohemi—a Song for Paris
—Juan Felipe Herrera, Poet Laureate of the United States
November 15, 2015
Mimi — can I call you that
this is a song for you —
with candles we stand & we kneel
this is how it is now we
well all of us we
send you these flowers across time
this time here which we
cannot explain
all love goes to you
& your friends the other night
so many with you gone we
stand we play Lennon’s piano
Imagine — we say
a world with out violence —
we want to imagine that in your name
Nohemi Gonzalez from El Monte
from Whittier California from
Cal State Long Beach —
then
we run out of words
the words
so many words your mamá
BeatrÃz your cousin Jacqueline
we know them now — for you
we write them a poem too
I do not know how we will do that
we are doing that - that is all
like the designs you made - for a high-spirited world
you said you were high-spirited, self-driven — yes
like the dreams you had
as the words First Generation
the ones you used to
describe your life
we continue with you — somehow
it is not important to know how
it is important to continue that is all
I must say it again
we are all writing a poem
for you for your cousin Jacqueline
for your mamá BeatrÃz — she loved you
their love will make it alright
all of our love will make it alright yes
here is your song Mimi —
We light Nohemi a candle
the candle waves across the stars
close they are so close because
Nohemi & Paris are in our hearts
Because Nohemi &
Paris — are in our hearts
