Madre de Maiz
"Her lines tell stories.
Starvation and plenty balance
Beauty beneath the bone.
Radiant Reyna who has renounced
fashion trends and crash diets.
Who has accepted the
Responsibility of timelessness.
Having held children and worked rightly
since the beginning and even rebounded
After a life-long relationship with death,
Respect is expected.
With the breath of life in her breast
And the light of acceptance in her heart,
All she sows grows, la madre de maíz.
Nuestro verdad.
Muchas gracias por su cariño,
Your crying, your dying and resurrection
Of the sun some sixty summers ago.
The way you stare is a stairway to heaven.
Having walked across celestial
jungles, oceans and deserts,
You have shed more myths
And made more magic
Than we can possibly ever comprehend.
Master of disguise. Keeper of lies.
Pain and anguish that you will never show.
To behold such beauty is to bear fruit.
And said fruit shall feed roots
As these roots keep us connected.
Laughter almost undetected.
Subtle signs
of love."
-- Poem by Joseph Jason Santiago LaCour
-- Painting by Rica Smith de la Luz
Rica
Rica Smith de la Luz is a mestiza artist, who grew up, and also raised a daughter in Santa Cruz, California. Her passion for feeding people and nourishing them on all levels brings her into their most honored celebrations as a naqasha (henna artist), dancer and private chef. As a wild-crafter and naturalist, she believes in food as medicine. She draws inspiration from nature and folk art, and the wisdom of her ancestors. Her ink studies and henna drawings are featured in the Sacred Poets line of activated apparel. She is available for mural commissions, tattoo design, and private events.
Jason
Joseph Jason Santiago LaCour is a Poet, Artist and Emcee from the midwest now living in Santa Cruz. A Filipino and French Creole fiasco, he has struggled as a young parent and worked countless jobs. Today, his daughters are grown, he has true love in his life and he wants to share his art, his heart, with you.
Please reach out for poetry performances, digital art/life events and language exchanges.