Alexiz Angel Romero (they/she) is a first-gen Latine poet alchemist from Oxnard, California, now residing in San Pancho on occupied Ramaytush Ohlone land. Alexiz’s works center on the experiences she has faced as a queer person of color, transness, innocence, rawness, and passerby tales of hustling and struggle. They have been a recipient of the Poetry Center’s New Voice Poetry Award in 2022 at San Francisco State University, where they are currently pursuing their degree in Chemistry. Eventually, they will be the first to make a time bomb.
ode to the beating heart
for Larry “Bucket Man” Hunt
Market street will never be the same
Without the sound of your beating heart
The rhythm you provided in your vibrant
Drumming of buckets and cowbells
Filling the gaps between the conundrum of
Automobiles & pedestrians
Hustling and bustling
In the nuances of their nine-to-five job
When the tourists come, your bangin’ is the first thing they see
Your pulse is the first thing they hear
And along with the smell of the city dogs cooking on the sides of the street
You smile a big smile
Cuz inside you may be hurtin’, hurtin’, hurtin’
But outside you’re happy
Cuz you make us happy
That smile is infectious
Like the grooves that make us move
You put a smile on our faces
To make us happy till we see another day
And letting us know to be strong
The city will never be the same
Without the sound of your beating heart