The Dregs of the Earth

The Dregs of the Earth
by Noemi Santana
April 28, 2020

Luis – el Gato – the Cat --
brilliant star imploded
at the hands of who knows.
His native crib spit him out:
The Bronx took him in.
Luis – Luisito/
simple clarity born of ignorance and genius.
Humble, confident, insecure and amazing.
East 144th, 149th, 150th…how many other stops?
He could travel in subway because he could read numbers --
Illiterate in Spanish and English --
His biggest pride was that he learned to sign his name --
                                Luis Figueroa
His beingness pushing out of his chest to be recognized.
Photographic memory making up for
absent reading skills.
At his youthful height
built, stacked, strong --
easy catch for lonely women
who used him to then shake him lose\
broken, casting about for the next lie.
He knows he has a baby girl
denied to him and disappeared –
but he knows he has a baby girl.
Gentle man with fragile soul
has ended up sick and alone.