Poetic Obituaries: "While living and working in our little,

tiny communities, in the midst of towering highrises, we fought the oppressor, the landlord, the developer, the banks, City Hall. But most of all, we celebrated through our culture; music, dance, song and poetry--not only the best we knew, but the best we had."

Poetry was a central part of Al [Robles]'s life, and in his twenties, according to Emil De Guzman, he was a regular in San Francisco's famous North Beach neighborhood, with the Beat poets like Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg. Al was also a painter and a carpenter who made Japanese tea houses.

But his art and poetry also were inextricably linked to his activism.

from Inquirer Global Nation: Remember the Poet-Warrior, Al Robles

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