What do I take with me when I pass on?
nothing
What do I have that is really mine then?
nothing

I don't even take my body.
nor my hair
or my skin
not even the warm color of my eyes

everything I make
and anything I take
all stays right here when I turn to heaven

Every face I ever painted
every breath that I have taken
every word I ever wrote
and every one of these love notes

I leave it all right here when I turn to heaven

If we came in with nothing
and we take nothing
and we leave with nothing

then why must we always fight about something?

why does this color hate the other?
and why do we always blame each other?
can't you relate my brothers?
then why do we hold onto grudges?

why?

I'll leave this all behind
only taking a peace of mind
I'll leave you all of my paints
only taking a life free of hate

I'll leave every word that is written
only taking the memories within
I'll leave every hug I ever gave
only taking the love that we made

And I'll show it all to God
lay my hands open before him with awe

I'm clean of the material
I'm free of a man made world
I'm free of lust and greed
I'm free of things that I "need"

I've washed my mind of hate
and cleared within my heart the blame
I've emptied the pockets of rules
and corrected the mind of a fool

I say live a life of love
say this was how it's supposed to be done

Because when I go
is when I'll know
that love was meant to be given

R.Arriagada
2008

There was once a time
Where I didn't like the brown in my eyes
I wanted blue ones
Like those of my friends

I remember how I hated my curly dark locks
I wanted straight blond maybe light brown or so I thought
Cause I wanted to be like my friends
Cause I just wanted to fit in

Growing up in the pacific northwest
I hated the fact I was of Mexican/Chilean descent
I remember once my best friend said
"Of all people……I hate Mexicans"

And I said nothing and did
Nothing….
Maybe that's why we aren't
Friends anymore

I remember being told
"you're too tall to be Mexican"
"you're too light to be Mexican"
"you don't even have an accent"

And I look at my father
He's 6 foot….and his brother 6'3
And He said to me
"all the men in our family are tall"

"See we're not all short and darker skin
some of us are tall and with a lighter mix

I've been labeled everything from every land
From Italian, Greek, Spanish, Jew, even Persian
Shit even Hawaiian.
But hardly Mexican or Chilean

And never just a man

Am I to you what you want me to be?
Does my race matter to you?
Do you need that identity?
Aren't we all from the same seed of Adam and Eve?

The human gene

I been to many cities across this great nation
And I see we still live in the mindset of segregation
I don't think we've even come close to our
………. greatness

There once was a time ……
But that time has ended for me
I'm proud of who I am
Just free to be me

R.Arriagada
2008

Sometimes I need an escape from my reality
Conscious to the sub, lies a fine line in between
I love to live on this edge
Cause theres my fantasy just over the ledge

And my mind shifts back and forth
Take me to wonderland, my foot to the pedal to the floor
This is what you do
And this is who you are

I except this gift of creation
Hone in on your gift son and it will take you far

So I paint and draw within my head
And I study the world till I lay down to bed
Then it hits me soon enough
My realites melt to dreams and stuff

Don't tell me I'm crazy man
My roots are planted see and so I stand
My life is vibrant as it is green and free
Give me the sun and water and I'm the strongest tree.

And I perch up high
Just over the heavens
If I had wings I would fly
Doing it again and again

I been through some rough times and weathered the storms
But that's what life is about boy and I'll go through it some more
Just stay strong and don't give way
You might lose a friend or two as they stray

But the true ones, they'll stick to the ground
We'll have a reunion of laughter and good times all round

And that's when I won't need to escape my reality
As I'll be really.........truly living a dream

R.Arriagada
8/2007
Acryiic 24" x 30"

Where red meets blue
birth to the passion purple hue
red studies all the things you do
and blue does the same thing too

while red is radical
blue is methodical
it's a cosmic connection
of love that's infectious

red is bright and its bold
and shines like gold
it's passion like fire
not one to retire

He wears his heart on his sleeve
Always jumps in with both feet
Throwing caution to the wind
Opening himself to be hurt again

Red has a furnace within him
And it burns hot like an engine
You can't put him out
He's an inferno, no doubt

Blue is cool and collected
But not one to mess with
She sits back and observes
Steps lightly un-nerved

She has passion subdued
Expressed when she unglued
Her creativity is refreshing
And her touch, it's inviting

Like a cool oasis
She'll bring you back to the basics
Bringing you nourishing life
Her light shines so bright

When these two get together
Ain't nothing they can't weather
But it would take both to realize
That the self must be set aside

For these colors combined
Could produce a love that is blind.............

R.Arriagada
24" x 30"
06/2007

The Man Within

This goes out to anyone and everyone
and nobody in particular
It goes out to those in my past,
My present
And those who are still yet to come
It is about you,
But more importantly it is about me.................................
..............................................................................

There is a battle that brews inside
It lives in my heart, and grows in the mind
I've been gone for so long, that
It seems I'm learning who I am
And where I stand
With the powers that be
The One who created me

I can bring you to joy and peace
And I can bring you to tears
Making your soul come to its knees
But have no fear
For…….
When I say something to you
When I express a thought with those few
It comes from a pure place
Even if I don't say it with much grace.

If I give you the benefit of the doubt
Don't scream and shout
That I'm weak
that I'm among the meek
If I forgive you over and over again
For eternity on end
It means I'm showing you love
For it's pure like the heaven above

When I share a story with you
Thoughts and feelings come through
Why do you take them, turn them around
And spin it like a merry go round
You pass judgement on me?
Don't put me in your corner
Just let me be….let me be

me

Enjoy the moment
For however long it is
Don't think about tomorrow
And fill my future with sorrow
Don't put that expectation on me
Just let me come to you naturally
In my own time
Grant me freedom of mind

Don't abuse it,
Don't misuse it
Be a person of your word
Walk what you talk
Or don't talk at all
Give me that decency
Show me your honesty
have confidence, have power
but Don't act like a coward.
Cause I'll lose respect for you

If you give me something
And expect something in return
Did you give out of love?
Or was it out of love for yourself?
To gratify the self

I need space, I need time
I need the freedom
To think, do, say, paint, and write…
Whatever I want
If you take that and twist it
To form some kind of opin-ion
.
.
.
Based on YOUR experience
You just put me in within your fence


So
My walls will go up
My mouth will close up
My heart will still feel
But my expression to you won't be real

I have only myself to rely on
I'm here day in and day out

So it's time go
To a place I know
Where I can work on my mind
Work on my body
Expand my heart
And hone in on my art
I have a talent you see
it's God given
Shit , it was free.

It would be a shame to waste it
True love, I can taste it

So I take my brush
My pallete
and load it up

The colors are applied
My greed is set aside
It will be a fight..I know
Lonely nights….I'll grow
But the search begins
For the Man within.

R.Arriagada
4/2007
18" x 24"

This measures 18" x 24"
The poem I wrote, goes with it

Love in the Meadows

And she says "How do you feel about me?"

I feel like growing my hair out and feeling it blow
across my face.
Like never wearing shoes again
Like taking my shirt off in the sun and feeling it's warmth against
my skin
Like the world around me in its busy-ness doesn't exist
Like the softness of your touch caresses my very soul
Like the sound of your voice soothes my ears and warms my heart

Love in the meadows

I feel like you know me from another life
Like you loved me before, long, long ago
Like we finally found each other after all these years
Like God sent you from heaven to me
You are my Angel
I am your world

Love in the meadows

I feel like I can live forever in your arms
Like time stops when I look into your eyes
Like my heart jumps when you smile at me
I'm lifted up
I'm empowered
My soul is refreshed and my body is strong
Like I can do anything, and conquer every obstacle

I feel like a new man

Love in the Meadows

R.Arriagada
Dec. 2006

This poem I wrote goes with it

E-man-cipation of my soul

Put me in pen with a bull and he will over-power me
Put me in cage with a lion and he will devour me
Put me in open water with no ground below and the shark will shred me to pieces.....

But...

Lift the gates of the cages
Fill the water with a meadow
And watch me break loose with graceful abandonment

When the light turns green and the gate flies open, I am free
In the game of creativity, I will run circles around you
Where imagination is the only barrier, I will dominate you.
My mind is sharp and my vision is perfect
My senses are keen and my body is strong

I can see anything and everything
I can go anywhere
I see grass grow where it shouldn..t grow
I see colors flow in a world of black and white

Life is an open arena, where this is no cage, there are no fences.
The bull is let loose and his power is useless. I run circles around him
The lion is let loose and he gets lazy and lays down
The shark...well he is just a fish out of water and surely dies.

I climb mountains and run through the valleys
You see me play and laugh
But no matter where I go
I will come back to you
Always...

And when you see me
You will see the dance in my step
The play fullness in my stride
And the innocence in my eyes
I will say to you "What's the matter?"
"Don't be sad"

With the flip of my head, I look to you
"Climb on my back and I will take you for a ride".

R.Arriagada
Nov. 2006

Hey God…

I'm here Rich. What's wrong?

I feel weak. Heart Singing sad songs

Come here Son, let me show you something
Look in the mirror here…what do you see?

I see…..me
Right…now tell me what do you really see
I see….pieces

Ok..and what do these pieces make?

All that I been through
The ugly, the bad and the good
All of me
Pretty much everything

These pieces of me
I'm all that you see
And you can't take one away and think
That I'll still be complete

God….it's been one of those day's
Realizing that I've come a long way
I just can't go back now
And lose myself, lose my grip….drown

Look around you…..see your growth
Remember to be humble, no need to boast
Don't forget those dark ages
How you got there, the path that takes us

I know that you love unconditional
But don't let it go and lose yourself
Can you be strong and be meek?
Can you give mercy and not be weak?

Don't forget the roots of your revolution
And those I sent to help get it done
You're not the most obedient but you got a good story
You're a loving, honest man..a true testimony

Have courage, and be strong now
Look squarely in the face of doubt now

And say…….
This is me….I came from HE
You can choose to accept it
Cause I can't change this

And remember Rich
I know you,
I made you.
I love you…

R.Arriagada
16" x 20"
20008