The Online Series - Collaborators

Jose Trejo-Maya • Los Angeles, California, USA

Poetry

Interpreting the word “Deserve” in The Online Series

Jose Trejo-Maya was born in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, and spent his childhood in the small rural pueblo of Tarimoró, from where he emigrated in 1988.  His inspirations include Netzahualcoyotl, Humberto Ak’abal, Ray A. Young Bear, James Welch and Juan Rulfo.  He is published in various journals and sites in the UK, US, Spain, India, Australia, Argentina, Germany and Venezuela. His awards and special recognitions include Pushcart Prize nominee in 2015; awarded Tercer Premio from El Centro Canario Estudios Caribeños – El Atlántico – en el Certamen Internacional de Poesía “La calle que tú me das” 2016; New Rivers Press Many Voices Project Finalist 2018; and 2020 Jack Straw Writers Program Fellow.  

While in ceremony with Chololo medicine men in the Tule River Reservation he dreamt this written prophecy…

I am a remnant of the Nahuatlacah oral tradition a tonalpouhque mexica, a commoner from the lowlands from a time and place that no longer exists.