FLORICANTO ISSUE Francisco X. Alarcón   WHALE SONGS we have no one but each other  this long night is overtaking us  we’re whales singing all alone  in this dark sea trying to find  each other in this big storm  oh, we’re singing about blue skies  about bountiful satisfying times  about rubbing bodies and tails  oh, they got us right this time  we’re harpooned we’re going down  falling straight down in a pool  of warm blood singing as we fall  brothers, sisters ram their ships  make them pay for the blood  they consciously are willing to spill  they’re pulling us up to their decks  we see their greed on the long knives  we’re not yet dead but we’re being cut  into mindless pieces seagulls are plucking  both of our open eyes oh, we're now singing  our last whale songs calling out all whales:  oh, Father Sun, take us into your hands  oh, Mother Sea, guard the entrails they toss  discard to the waves. oh, ancient whales  of the Arizona sea desert, we call out  for your mighty healing powers  make our nation whole again  a welcoming open sea to all  oh, sky whales oh, sea whales  oh, land whales oh, spirit whales  oh, whales from the past  oh, whales from the future  we call out for you to undo  the wounds they’ve done  set us free all unharmed  we’ll praise sing forever  the precious gifts of this sky  of this land this vast sea  that’s always been ours  credits Francisco X. Alarcón is author of many poetry collections, including From the Other Side of Night; Snake Poems: An Aztec Invocation; Sonnets to Madness and Other Misfortunes. His most recent book is Ce-Uno-One: Poems for the New Sun (Swan Scythe Press 2010). Among his honors: the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award and the Pen Oakland Josephine Miles Award. He founded the Facebook page, "Poets Responding to SB 1070," and he teaches at the University of California, Davis.   Published in Volume 13, Number 1, Winter 2012.