"Reincarnation" by Wallace McRae
"What does Reincarnation mean?"
A cowpoke asked his friend.
His pal replied, "It happens when
Yer life has reached its end.
They comb yer hair, and warsh yer neck,And clean yer fingernails,
And lay you in a padded box
Away from life's travails."
"The box and you goes in a hole,
That's been dug into the ground.
Reincarnation starts in when
Yore planted 'neath a mound.
Them clods melt down, just like yer box,
And you who is inside.
And then yore just beginnin' on
Yer transformation ride."
"In a while, the grass'll grow
Upon yer rendered mound.
Till some day on yer moldered grave
A lonely flower is found.
And say a hoss should wander by
And graze upon this flower
That once wuz you, but now's become
Yer vegetative bower."
"The posy that the hoss done ate
Up, with his other feed,
Makes bone, and fat, and muscle
Essential to the steed,
But some is left that he can't use
And so it passes through,
And finally lays upon the ground
This thing, that once wuz you."
"Then say, by chance, I wanders by
And sees this upon the ground,
And I ponders, and I wonders at,
This object that I found.
I thinks of reincarnation,
Of life and death, and such,
And come away concludin': 'Slim,
You ain't changed, all that much.'"Kiely's favorite:
"'Twas the Night Before Christmas" by
Clement Clarke Moore and Henry Livingston
(Please read this poem with a Spanish accent. It will make the experience so much better. Thank you.)"‘Twas the night before Christmas y por toda la casa,
Not a creature was stirring-Caramba! Que pasa?Los niños were tucked away in their camas,
Some in long underwear, some in pijamas,While hanging the medias with mucho ciudado
In hopes that old Santa would feel obligadoTo bring all children, both buenos y malos,
A nice batch of dulces y otros regalos.Outside in the yard there arose such a grito
That I jumped to my pies like a frightened cabrito.I ran to the window and looked out afuera,
And who in the world do you think that it era?Saint Nick in a sleigh and a big red sombrero
Came dashing along like a crazy bombero.And pulling his sleigh instead of venados
Were eight little burros approaching volados.I watched as they came and this quaint little hombre
Was shouting and whistling and calling by nombre:"Ay Pancho, ay Pepe, ay Cuco, ay Berto,
Ay Chato, ay Chopo, Macuco, y Nieto!"Then standing erect with his hands on his pecho
He flew to the top of our very own techo.With his round little belly like a bowl of jalea,
He struggled to squeeze down our old chiminea,Then huffing and puffing at last in our sala,
With soot smeared all over his real suit de gala,He filled all the medias with lovely regalos-
For none of the niños had been very malos.Then chuckling aloud, seeming muy contento,
He turned like a flash and was gone como viento.And I heard him exclaim, and this is verdad,
Merry Christmas to all, y Feliz Navidad!"
