EL CHAVEZ

he wasn't short 
and he wasn't tall. 
he wasn't hard 
and wasn't soft. 
…he was cesar. 
eyes in sharp inquiry 
of a far-sighted eagle 
without the hard-cold 
of ventures of hate. 
…he was cesar. 
eyes always looking 
and reading and seeking 
in strong warm insights 
and quiet pride honesty. 
weighing words or deeds 
to seek "win" fairness. 
…he was cesar. 
alone in a determination 
that was tested each day 
…he was cesar. 
seeking to end peonage... 
forcing fairness to be real 
and not contrived postures 
of easy convenient words 
in un-think un-sweat sneers 
…he was cesar. 
opening a real opportunity 
for all to hard-sweat climb 
to real freedom and pride 
in a hard-built fairness. 
…he was cesar. 
seeking to end centuries 
of short hoe for short pay 
and short lives in un-free 
with no hope for fairness. 
…he was cesar. 
trying to unite efforts 
of migrant un-unite-ables. 
teaching the un-teachables. 
opposing with mind and body
those almost un-opposable.
Informing and making aware
all the hard-sweat un-pay 
un-fairness of centuries 
of unseen hidden migrants 
in seasonal agricultures. 
dirt poor unskilled labor 
too honest to steal or beg 
doing short hoe hard sweat 
for minimal wages for food 
and sad shelter for families 
and no toys for children. 
alone amid fear and apathy. 
…he was cesar. 
day after day. endlessly 
walking to set mind fires 
to light a way to fairness. 
in a late night tired talk 
he said in his easy wisdom, 
"there must be real fairness. 
the world has never had it. 
fairness is not some right. 
it is a basic requirement." 
…he was cesar. 
dusty cotton shirt and pants. 
a knotted scarf at neck. 
warily walking dirt roads 
in dusty quiet smile 
and warm open greetings. 
"you can and will be free." 
deeply smoldering at unfair. 
no hate. no rant. no chant. 
only think and work-sweat. 
looking in eyes of children 
to seek energy for himself. 
…he was cesar. 
now fools and politicians 
come as vultures always do. 
to confuse and to feed off 
all those alone dusty walks 
down those alone dusty roads 
of those endless harvests. 
already they use-abuse him. 
he was always wary of them. 
april 22nd. a spring day 
for the sowing and planting 
of seeds for some new crop. 
some want a stone monument. 
…cesar is one. 
he wanted a real fairness 
and saw no value in hatred. 
hate was a tool for losers. 
...so now it is your turn.
no hatred. Think-sweat-build.
cesar chavez would like that.
after all, he was a human.
hard and honest and fair.
that was more than enough.
…cesar is.

Bob Challman
Heaven