From
Crete To Colorado
today
I climbed to
the source
holy spring and chapel of
Ayios Antonios
saw rare white cylcamen
yesterday
I met the great grandson
of Louis Tikas
hero and martyr
of
the Ludlow Massacre
I
learned of as a boy
from
Woody’s ballad
We took some cement and walled the cave
up
Where you killed those 13 children inside
I said “God bless the mine workers union”
And then I hung down my head and cried.
early
in springtime in 1914
Rockefeller gun thugs
Guggenheim gun thugs
murdered strikers
murdered children
riddling
the tents
a
ring of machine guns
set
up around the colony
attack
anticipated
huddled
in trenches
under
the tents
night
fell
tried
to escape in the dark
they
set fire to the tents
children
smothered
by smoke
how
many museums to clean the names
Rockefeller
Guggenheim
How
many museums atone for
Mary Valdez age
7 years
How
many museums atone for
Elvira Valdez,
age 3 months
Eulala Valdez age
8 years
How
many museums for
Joe Petrucci age 6 months
Frank Petrucci age 2 ½ years/
William Snyder age 11 years
Glovira Pedegone age 4 years
Lucy Costa age 6 years
Onafrio Costa age 4 years
How
many museums for
Louis
Tikas, a leader of Greek strikers
man
of high intelligence
did
his utmost to preserve peace
unarmed
blows
to the head from the stock of Springfield rifle
shot
three times in the back
another
spring time in Crete
2002
the
driver owner of the taxi
(Mercedes
beautifully maintained)
we
exchange where-are-you-froms
I
tell him New York City my father drove a taxi there
we
agree very dangerous
he
names his home province of Rethymno
joking
I ask from Mylopotamo?
notorious
for vendettas and rustlers
no
from Argyropolis
has
a famous American relative
great
grandfather died leading a strike
then the tale
of his great grandfather
Louis
Tikas his American name
Born
Elias Spantidhakis
when
he realizes
his
passenger alongside
one
of what
maybe
one
in a ten thousand Americans
who
speaks some Greek
who
knows some of that historia
know
in that sense that means solidarity
that
means equality that means fraternity
his
floods of dialect
lose
me pretty quick
all
I can do
keep
agreeing at the right pauses
catching
only bits of remembered resistance
resistance
to 300 years Turkish occupation
techniques habits of resistance
Louis
took to Colorado
shared
with Mexicanos Serbs Portagees Americans
till
the weekend warriors of Denver
with
their machine guns and cans of Kerosene
till
the Pinkertons with their armored train
first
strike in America
my
grandfather…he fought…
conditions
in the mines can easily be imagined
from
some of the striking workers’ demands
enforcement
of Colorado Law
an
end to being paid illegally in company scrip
St Peter don’t
you call, I can’t come…I
owe my soul to
the company store…
16 tons and what do
I get…
another day …deeper in debt…
Ludlow Memorial
Interstate 25 Exit 27
from the Visitors Book
Here
is my uncle
Signed/ John Slavec, Minneapolis Minnesota
Alex
Smiley,
Father
of Mr Reynolds and Grace Zercher
Was
killed in #4 mine at Broadhead
Dec
23, 1903
Buried
on Christmas day
Leaving
a wife & 5 children
Received
nothing for death
Of
Father & Husband
He
is buried at Augular
Signed Mr.
& Mrs. John Reynolds (Smiley ) St Louis MO
Mrs. Grace Zercher
(Smiley)
Mr. & Mrs.
N.J. Whilson (Granddaughter of Grace Zercher (Smiley)
You
spent so much money on the monument
Why
can’t you spend a little money for a sign
Telling
what happened
If
it wasn’t for my grandmother
I
never would have known
Signed/ William
Hall, Peabody Kansas
Read
King Coal by Upton Sinclair and
Out
of the Depths
by Baron Beshoar
In
any Public Library for the story of
The Ludlow Massacre
Mrs. Harold Myers,
Pueblo
Visited
here then read
Out
of the Depths
and returned to pay our respects
To
those who so valiantly fought and died
Here
for their cause!
Mr. & Mrs.
Glen E. Meacham, Loveland
I
appreciate the fact that my union UMW of A has erected this monument
To
my fellow Coal Miners & their Loved ones.
I
worked 40 years in Kentucky coal Mines.
God
Bless All who died here.
Ted J. Miller,
Nicholasville, Ky
District 19, Lynch,
Ky, Local 72425
Our
Uncle Albert Salbato’s relatives the Petruccis
Were
victims of this massacre
Signed/ Jack L.Siacca
Nick G Siacca
Rick J. Siacca Ludlow Colorado
And our Grandmother
Angie J.Siacca
Written
by Jack.L.Siacca age 9
Let
us remember that this was only the beginning of our struggle.
Those
responsible for the massacre of these workers still live in their grandsons
Who
exploit workers in other parts of the world
Let
us not be appeased with “God Bless these men.”
Let
us fight so their dream will come true.
POWER
TO THE PEOPLE
Terry Head
Marie Head
Nora Danielson
I
formerly lived in Las Animas County
During
the period of this Tragedy
And
it has always been in my mind
J. L. Rhodes
Director of Organization
United Brotherhood
of Carporters & Janitors of America
(Retired) Alpine, Texas