La Bowie
a high school with a heartbreaking
will always be a major part
of the lives of thousands
of chicanos.
that is, of those
fortunate enough
to have attended la bowie
whether it was just the jr. high-school
or whether it was just for a semester
or to actually get a diploma
the pride in their eyes se asoma
when they hear la bowie mentioned
spread now
the world over
the alumni
the you and i,
have gone on to become
respected leaders, war heroes
accomplished artists, successes
or better yet simply good u.s. citizens
working at raising a family
in the serenity of home.
we also claim
those who did not do so well,
or worse yet
took some crooked roads
and wound up in a prison
or in the city morgue o.d.d.
or became slaves to a wine bottle.
We claim them all
and speak with tears
in our broken voices
as we recall,
--------- bowie siempre gloriosa--------
la bowie filled with glory
in the full sense of the word.
Each new generation
entering its new site's doors
assumes immediately
a heritage with lots of pride
the moments of glory,
the sport victories,
the magnificent teachers,
the locuras, the character of students,
the walking to and from
along sixth or seventh streets
la bowie, home of some greats
of the classroom, administration,
coaching staffs, such as,
coach davidson, el pollitt,
paredes, la dixon, el mr. carpenter
el bean and el jackson.
The famous bears like
perez, morales, montes
and el zurdo holguin who pitched
la bowie into a state championship.
la bowie is an institutions
which with time and love acquired
human characteristics
and thus became the mother-shelter
for many of us who had little else
to protect us and to guide us.
The times have changed, yes,
but as long as there is an alumni
guarding its strong spirit,
highlighting yearly
another outstanding bowieite,
la bowie
will remain a beacon
in El Paso, Texas
nay, in East L.A.
Denver, Chicago
or any other major city
where a bowie graduate
makes its home now.
La bowie is,
after all,
a high school with a soul.
by Abelardo "Lalo" B. Delgado, Class of 1950
(c) Abelardo Delgado. Published with permission of the Delgado family. All poems are copyright of the Estate of Lalo Delgado and may not be reproduced without permission.
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