PRIMA VERA

by: f. g. lopriato y lopez

PRIMA VERA

(With apologies to Sara Teasedale.)

They come to tell the demo's faults to me,

and then one-by-one. The poor,

blind fools refuse to see,

that it's sunset for the GOP.

New Mexico gave up many freedoms to become part of the United States, one of those freedoms was Women's Suffrage . My mother, who was born in 1907, was only five years old when, at last the American government reinstated a woman's right to vote, conduct business, own property, to be legally represented in court. During her life time, Mom was a staunch advocate of everyone's rights especially the rights of women, which she always sought to expand farther. On her death­bed in 1987, she expressed two regrets, one was that she could not cast one last vote before she left us, and two: that she had not lived long enough to see a woman on the adobe throne in Santa Fe. This coming Thursday will be Thanksgiving Day, I know that if Mom were here, she would be lighting a candle and placing it in the center of the dinner table, as a symbol of her gratitude for the good things that have happened. This year, she would add one more thing for which to be thankful, as she led the family in that yearly silent prayer at the dinner table. Her life-long dream of having a woman governor of New Mexico is very close to coming true, and no one is more worthy of that honor than our present Lieutenant Governor. That honor does not come without more pitfalls than any other governor in my memory. This time there is all with which Clyde Tingley was forced to contend, plus a multiple growth of population, and all its problems. Techno vultures will be using every means at their disposal to sabotage her every effort. It will be up to us, her constituents, to counter their efforts at making her reign be perceived as a failure in any way. How to best accomplish that will be the subject of my meditation at the thanksgiving table this year. Oh, yes! There will also be a candle burning and a picture of Mom at that table. There is a tough road ahead, for both the political leadership who have to take over the mess that the GOP left, as well as for the average American citizenry. It will take all the gumption we can muster to dig ourselves out of this hole, but we can and we will do it. There are no golden parachutes for the common peo­ple, we either do it on our own or it is left undone. Pull in your horns and gird your loins, hang on as if you are riding the biggest mechanical bull at maximum velocity. Start by not living beyond your immediate means. Sacrifice that night out with the boys, or girls, at the movies, bars or restaurants, what you save in tips alone will be worth the effort. So how will that help the economy? Your's or the businesses which you would normally patronize? I'm ceriain that the people who got the bail­outs and golden parachutes will help them, but who's go­ing to help you out of the hole? There is safety in unity. The instinct of the herd is to protect the herd, that's why opportunists do so much to divide us socially politically, financially, racialiy, ethnically, and in any way they can. Until they need your voice, your vote, or your presence, then they want things bi this and bi that, only to leave you holding the bag when the battle is over. The Wopajos do not trust, or confide in anyone or any­thing easily, bit when we do, we do it with all our hearts, with all our soul, and all our being UNCONDITIONALLY. The way we have trusted and will continue to trust our soon to be Governor .....