Poem archive

Poems

Read poems by Arizona and Southwestern writers, plus classic work preserved in the AZPoetry literary archive.

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Ritchie Valens poem by Myrlin Hepworth AZpoetry.com

2025

Ritchie Valens

By Myrlin Hepworth

Hepworth addresses Ritchie Valens directly, tracing a young Mexican American musician’s relationship with guitar, his shortened professional name, his rapid rise and early death, while insisting that his music survives attempts to reshape his cultural identity.