Introduction

Milhuas Blues and Gritos Norteños represents the most current poet phase of Ricardo Sánchez. It was written in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the poet's residence as a visiting professor in creative writing and Chicano literature. In this short book, Ricardo Sánchez covers the background leading to his stay in "Milhuas" where the height of activity focused on the first annual Canto al Pueblo, his critical and philosophical thoughts emanating from his "Milhuas" experience and his immediate post-"milhuas" phase of reflection. Each poem, regardless of length, is preceeded by a short critical but concise dedication which prefaces the text of his poetry. Appropriately, he begins by reflecting on the Flor y Canto that took place the year prior and which he laughingly calls "Florimoco", where painting and poetry are "ba-ba-basura empty and dead because they do not reflect realities experienced by the authors. In pain and "thought feelings" we continue lifeless towards leftovers, unprotected without awareness. The poet criticizes a Hispanic journal, two Chicano writers and his hometown as he dejectingly projects the arrival once more of death and the absence of his muse, which leads him to contemplate on the death of movements, century after century and finally, the subsequent trappings of the raza in their hunger and emptiness.

Focusing on his second phase, Milwaukee, Ricardo Sánchez recreates in a passionate and lyrical manner, his intense feelings perceived during his brief residence in that city. It is a personal search of the author for warm and compassionate voices and faces:

"I search
in the darkness
of nothing
voices and faces
from another time
caressing
my existence
with
tenderness and understanding
with humanizing passion....."

It is time that passes which creates anxiety and turbulence within the poet; once more he must wander like the gypsy to unknown places but with moments of fragrant remembrances, warm and calumnious, of friendship and of a few friends that shared mutual brotherhood in the bitter ice and frothy beer of Milwaukee.

His third selection from which the title is taken, "Milwaukee Blues y Gritos Norteños", is dedicated to a mutual colleague, poet, and friend, Reimundo "Tigre" Pérez. Sharing similar circumstances and realities, Ricardo Sánchez asserts to his compañero:

"Milwaukee blues y gritos norteños 

assail us compa... 

dislocated we watch

promenaders parade 

their charades"

Like Sánchez, "Tigre", his feline brother, has "cantogritado", breaking the chains of social imprisonment and has joined in singing his song of liberation. It is "Tigre", with the help of a "compañero lírico" (Sánchez) and a "catedrático" (Vento) that will attempt an aesthetic process of bringing consciousness to a people; "It will be a problem but no matter", says the poet.

This introduces the third phase of his Milhuas Blues..., where the Canto al Pueblo, the apex of Milwaukeean success will be born, but not without conflict. The conflict, already stated indirectly in the dedication of his third poem, is subtlety referred to by the following play on words:

"pues I cannot
appreciate
avenues
that are nationalist
(n) or groucho-marxist
lanolinless"

Here it is the "políticos" that are the problem with their aggrandizing hands". The poet, in the end, hopes in vain for them "to just let it be". The aftermath is adroitly described in "Dentro cantos de" where anguish and suspense lingers; only the pain and fatigue are the rewards:

"Tigre

perdimos mas

en el

llento al Pedo 

que lo que quisimos ... 

...por un canto 

a un pueblo 

que en el pasaso 

nos había mutilado

nos hemos re-mutilado"

"No one will understand", Sánchez continues, "that it was paid by the bloody and backbreaking efforts of Vento, yourself, Zamora, Chore and a few others while the power mongrels did what they could to poison the process."

The author cautions that within the smiles, the murals, the poetry, there is envy, opportunism, and convenience that entombs the good. We continue to be our most ferocious enemy in a setting of too many Judases and too few cultivators and reapers of justice and humanity

In the fourth phase of Milhuas Blues..., Ricardo Sánchez lashes out to reject alienation, deceptions and threats because "to live is to pay", because commitment is "personal and deep/wrenching". There are no easy outs:

"it all boils down 
to letting decisions
flood the moment 
come vhat may...
All individual
collective processes are born in order to die
for fruition"

The poet in "la casi muerte" feels his anger beginning to churn and stands once more with clenched fists:

"no dammit, no! 
no more chains 
no more cringing in fear 
no more bowing
nor shuffling about
We, too must live..."

The raza like all humanity was born to be alive and liberated and consequently':

"We are a people 
who in this struggle 
will become liberated"

In an interesting blend of prose and poetry, Ricardo Sánchez vigorously defines art as the height of the humanizing act. It is art and culture that help us define ourselves, to live as humanizing beings. The Chicano movement has documented the culture, history and vitalism of a people. Through poetry we can sing and shout to the world from any circumstance and have the courage to confront all living conditions. Art, as handed down by our fathers,

"...tells us
what we can be, 
for it frees us 
to thinkful 
the self's core
within the text
of our humanizing community."

It is, moreover, a true vehicle for spiritual/intellectual expression of our humanity: "It is canto, grito, danza, theatre and visual aesthetic realizations that are multidimensional..." It is with this spirit that the Canto al Pueblo will be born, "a coming together of mestizo-Indígena artists, a joint university/community event reflecting our individual/collective estética..."

Almost as an interlude, "solo and with remembrances represents the lyrical side of Ricardo Sánchez. It is a love poem which is addressed to his wife which reminisces of times,

"...before
a walking
de flores del desierto,
before a fireplace
would we bask then
in warmth
and
tender sharing
con gentle strength
and swaying beauty..."

It is the poet that celebrates his thoughts with a smile and her beauty with all the "fibrous manhood" of his being.

The last phase of Milhuas Blues...is the post-Milwaukeean phase in which the poet, now in El Paso, reflects on his passing residence in Milwaukee. Nostalgia and sadness set in and he.remembers the many.people he met there asserting "It hurts to have to struggle only to survive." In a dialogue with his readers, Ricardo Sánchez confesses he does not know the solution to the human/societal problem and realizes that we all have our limitations. While he realizes his mortality, he persists on not kneeling to anyone. Rather, the poet reaches out to his brothers and sisters both in an effort to jointly seek their liberation. It is a confession that life has humbled the poet to the degree of not being able to accept cynicism which, at one time, he pretended to have.

His last poem entitled "Tóricas a la Niches" utilizes passionate and erotic poetry to introduce the concepts of freedom, humanizing vitalism, time and individual worth with an acute intensity initiated in the sensual beginning. According to the poet, love and fragrance permeate life with meaning, and sensuality cleanses the spirit allowing for freedom which is life's joy. Freedom is realizing the beauty and power that exists in every living thing. It cannot be defined or enclosed. "If women are to have the dignity of liberation/they shall be the ones/to create it by/the meaning of their struggles. All things are sacred in their being and therefore all difference should be respected. Since life is living without fear or reservations, none of us can reign supreme. Time is fleeting for us, mortal and frail; let us then love each moment in our passing as real persons:

"who do their rights
defend
and who by living do declare
they'll not oppress
nor mother earth
expioit."

In conclusion, Ricardo Sánchez is a sensitive poet aware of his plastic and superficial world, and who, in his struggle to defend his people, searches for a humanizing vitalism where living things are sacred in their being. The intensity and commitment of his convictions often leads the poet, to be critical of his people. His criticism can be accomplished through the invention of original neologism or with play on words. "Sinatl/sapocagatls" is a play on words with "sin sapos" which, in turn, is a play on words with "sin safos". The suffix in the original is from the Aztekah náhuatl. A literal translation reveals the author's humorous but critical intent regarding the use of Aztekah terminology. A characteristic of Ricardo Sánchez's poetry in Spanish is his profound passion and emotion for describing reality. The ability to weave naturally from Spanish to English, and English to Spanish is a characteristic common to all good bilingual Chicano/Chicana writers. His use of splitting concepts or words is of his idea of the duality and collective characteristics of nature as exemplified by piensasentimineto, hum/sing, recuerdo/anhelas and contogritar. Finally, Milhaus Blues y Gritos Norteños is a work exemplary of the polyfaceted pilgrimage of the poet whose promordial preoccupation is the perennial humanization of society.

Arnold C. Vento, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee