Low and Slow
Resistance through low-riders
It’s a saying, it’s a way of living,
it’s a form of resistance and sinning,
low-riders are religion,
they’re candy-red disciples with
rims like a sunrise.
There’s this story
that the homeboys like to tell
about how when the veteranos
returned from war
they didn’t like how the cops
used to call them spicks,
pulling them over, hauling them out
all because they drove
their cars with their bumpers
kissing the ground.
See, the cops were smart but
the homies were smarter,
they switched from sand bags to
air compressors for their carros,
So when it was time to cruise,
the homies would get into their ranflas
with their rucas at their side
and ride.
See their cars were mobile murals
with crosses and roses,
even La Virgen
on their metal skin.
And when the pigs drove by,
they hit the switch and
raised up their rides,
and that’s how they lived,
resistance through
Chevy impalas,
and bombas that only exploded
into color as the sun set.
Calo dictionary:
-veterano: a person who has fought in a war (a veteran)
-carro: a car
-ranfla: a car
-ruca: girlfriend/wife/female partner
-La Virgen: the Virgen de Guadalupe, a religious icon for many Chicanos
-bomba: a pre 1954 American vehicle with round edges also a low-rider
