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There are those who say the most effective way to express your love is through a letter, or through a poem.
The city’s current poet laureate did both. He’s Eddie Vega, poet laureate, but also a schoolteacher at Holy Cross.
He begins the poem by honoring our original inhabitants, those who found it so inviting 10,000 years ago.
“A Love Letter to San Antonio…Yanaguana…Land of the Spirit waters to the Payaya Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan who were first here on this sacred soil…”
He first wrote most of the poem when called to do so by a former poet laureate.
"A few years ago, there was another poet laureate project during the poet laureateship of Laurie Ann Guerrero, and she asked for poets from around town to write a love letter to San Antonio," Vega said. "So I set to doing that, and the winners [were] placed downtown at the Plaza de Armas building.”
Like most good poets he says a lot, with not many words.
“You are cypress trees with twinkling earrings of Christmas lights
You are HemisFair playsets adorned with happy screams and happier
laughter. You are Alamo Plaza raspas topped with the sweet smiles of endless summer.
You are Southtown art-walks, Westside taco-spots,
Eastside sounds, and a Taste of the Northside.”
The city of San Antonio has taken his poem and put video to it.
I wondered if this guy’s love for his city made his wife jealous. He laughed. "She knows that she's part of that romance. The biggest part of the romance,” he said.
Vega shared the original text of his poem with TPR (below). It varies slightly from his video performance (above).
Yanaguana, land of the spirit waters, to the Payaya Tap Pilam
Coahuiltecan, who were first here on this sacred soil,
San Antonio de Padua, to the friars who gave it that name
San Antone, to those that think they know you
San Anto, to those that truly know your papel picado heart and cowboy boot soul
Forgive me for seeing other cities
Those others aren't you, though they try
Their rivers aren't magical, majestic, mystical making memories as I meander
You are cypress trees with twinkling earrings of Christmas lights
You are HemisFair playsets adorned with happy screams and happier
laughter
You are Alamo Plaza raspas topped with the sweet smiles of endless
summer
You are Southtown art-walks, Westside taco-spots,
Eastside sounds, and a Taste of the Northside
Flea Markets, Farmers Markets, and Hill Country delights
a quick pic at the Selena Bridge, quince pics at the McNay, prom pics at
The Pearl,
a couple pic on a boat, in a carriage, or under a canopy of stars
Bring on a George Strait two-step, chancla-dancing to Flaco’s acordión,
Singing along to Volver Volver, even though we’re not suffering from heartbreak, just a heartache, because Fiesta is only here, once a year
So give me a sunlit Oyster Bake, a moonlit NIOSA
and I'll still wake up early and stand in line with my brothers and sisters
for the good barbacoa, the sweetest Big Red
as we chat, nod in agreement, knowing
the Spurs are going to take it all this year
(or maybe next year)
San Antonio, your formal appellation
San Anto, because we’re intimate friends
Thank you, for letting me in, showing me around, and loving me
Con un abrazo and a kiss on the cheek,
