The Beat of an Immigrant Chicano - Introduction - What is it to be a Beat these days?

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Stanford

Poetic reflection on what it means to be “a Beat” in contemporary life, and on how society shapes identity through struggle. The introduction centers on the Chicano immigrant experience, especially crossing the U.S. border from Tijuana at age 10, confronting partial belonging, and learning to name oneself as American yet not fully. Through recollection and verse, it frames heartache, inner battles, and the healing power of poetry, concluding that family is home.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages64

Reading Time1 h 39 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Swan Song Series

Home.Run.10

The Desert Border Ballad12

TJ Crows13

Cuervos de Tijuana14

El Chiapas15

No Recess19

No Recreo20

Four Birthstones21

Tangled in Flags22

Hardship23

Social Damnation24

Cortez Continues25

We the Cattle26

Desert Baptized.27

Chapter 2: La Vida L.A.29

Resisting Gang Life in the Hood30

Beggar31

Sound Submissive/Coffee Art32

Destructive and Immobile33

Parental Responsibility34

Notes from a Presentation by Juan Felipe Herrera35

Miasmic Evening of Angels36

Echo Park Lake 7:30PM 201637

San Francisco38

Long Beach Sighs39

Chapter 1: Desert Heartache

Chapter 3: Beat Poetry from my Brown Chest41

# The Beat ofan Immigrant Chicano by Juan CARDENAS Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2022 with funding fromKahle/Austin Foundation The Beat of an Immigrant Chicano ## The Swan Song Series In the Middle of the Ford,Giuliano LadolfiLove in a Time of Belligerence,Eileen R.TabiosCodify,Irene Koronas longshadoufall,Michael Mc Aloran The epic of Gilgamesh,(adaptation by)Saadi Younis BahriZenith,Ingrid Calderon heshe egregore,Daniel Y.Harris &Irene Koronas Future Anakes in Mouth of NOW,Gerda Govine ItuarteDirty Prety Jaded Soul,Timothy J.Moris &Christopher SoteloSapodilla,Michael RothenbergSerious Longing,Jessica M.Wilson ◎Éditions du Cygne(SWAN World),Paris,2020 Juan Cardenas www.editionsducygne.com/swanworldISBN:978-2-84924-610-8 Juan Cardenas # The Beat of an Immigrant Chicano Edited by Jessica M.Wilson Éditions du Cygne/SWAN World This book of poetry is dedicated to my mother;Yolanda Gomec Cárdenas,to my muse of poetry,Jessica M.Wilson,and to all those who have crossed the border. ## Table of Contents Introduction 79Home.Run.10The Desert Border Ballad12TJ Crows13Cuervos de Tijuana14El Chiapas15No Recess19No Recreo20Four Birthstones21Tangled in Flags22Hardship23Social Damnation24Cortez Continues25We the Cattle26Desert Baptized.27Chapter 2:La Vida L.A.29Resisting Gang Life in the Hood30Beggar31Sound Submissive/Coffee Art32Destructive and Immobile33Parental Responsibility34Notes from a Presentation by Juan Felipe Herrera35Miasmic Evening of Angels36Echo Park Lake 7:30PM 201637San Francisco38Long Beach Sighs39 Chapter 1:Desert Heartache Chapter 3:Beat Poetry from my Brown Chest41The Beat of a Chicano Immigrant42A Madman's VoiceThe Red DreamDoubt of Self Worth47You,Temple of Dawn48Change is Inevitable49Focus Scattered by jazz51Power52The Headache of God53Baroque Royal Poet54Park Bar Blues55Daughter Moon/Son Sun56Lime Flower Feline57 4446 Introduction What is it to be a Beat these days?Not a lot;life istough for us all in different ways,and part of growingup is learning things the hard way.Society has a way tomake a Beat out of you. There are many ways a Chicano could be a Beat.In mycase,my hardest struggle has been immigration.Crossing the border,becoming an American,and mostimportantly,realizing that I was an American and nolonger a Mexican;but not a full American.Realizingthat this valley I grew up is my new home,and not myhometown in Leon,Guanajuato,took inner battles,heartache and a book of poetry.The biggest gift wasrealizing that family is where home is. I crossed the desert border to the U.S.from Tijuana atthe age of 10,and realizing that I am a Chicano wasone of the biggest epiphanies of my life.Now,marriedand with two children,I recollect the heartaches andpain I experienced growing up labeled as an immi-grant,through the art of poetry. Juan CárdenasSan FernandoJanuary 2020

FAQs

What question does the Introduction pose about being a Beat today?

It asks, “What is it to be a Beat these days?” and answers that not a lot—life is tough for everyone in different ways.

What is described as the author’s biggest struggle?

Immigration: crossing the border, becoming an American, and realizing he was an American yet not fully, while still carrying identity ties.

How does the text connect identity, home, and family?

It argues that growing up requires hard lessons and inner battles, and ultimately treats family as where home is.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Stanford