!Viva!

I have been working on a book for my marketing project. It is Go Up the Road by Evelyn Sibley Lampman. It is a story about a 12 year old girl named Yolanda Ruiz. She is a migrant farmworker, and the story describes the difficult lives migrant families had to endure. It takes place in the late 1960s when Mexican-Americans began to march for civil rights and Ce'sar Cha'vez began to create waves of change.

I have found some wonderful links to artists during my creation of a marketing scenario. One link is to the web site for author, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand. The most beautiful music plays while you look through her colorful site of books and information. Another link is to artist, Edward Gonzales. His artwork is beautiful.

In honor of the arts and contributions by Hispanic America, I thought I'd choose a poem I discovered as a middle-schooler. The poet is Gustavo Aldolfo Be'quer (1836-1870). The poem is XVII from "Rimas y Leyendas." The translation follows. (Please forgive the poor substitution for accents.)

Hoy la tierra y los cielos me sonri'en;
hoy llega al fondo de mi alma el sol;
hoy la he visto... las he visto y me ha mirado...
Today I believe in God!

Today the earth and the skies smile at me;
today the bottom of my spirit reached the sun;
today I saw her... I saw her and she looked at me...
Today I believe in God!