POEM FOR A HACKER

Your crafty presence adds
To whatever I do
You become indispensable
In the equation of creation
In the lattice of your reality

To think of you
As a partner in arms
Or an associate of the absurd
To ponder if you are needed
Or if you have become undesirable

Invisible partner
Take care of
More important business
It be good for you

I better wish you well
I better give you water
And not have you thirsty
Better hydrated
Than dried

Let me study
Your grey matter
I don’t know if
I should give you a hug
Or quick you
Between your legs

SONG WRITING

I played my guitar
On my bed
It laid on the side
That hurts the most

I sang a song about lovers
Who are euphorically lost
I sang a song
About everlasting devotion

And suddenly…
Your song began to emerge
From that sanctuary
Inside my thorax
And it came alive
Like a memory of flesh & blood

Dreams of medicine
Blanket of my life
Under the stars of winter

***********************

Sueños de medicina
Cobija de mi vida
Bajo las estrellas del invierno

BATLLE

There’s no joy in seeing
Your opponent destroyed
Only pain & sorrow

WHEN I WALKED THROUGH
THE DOOORS SHE LOOKED
AT ME & SMILED


Today at Divine Liturgy
The priest spoke about
A blind man who was able
to see better than those with
A good pair of eyes

He was able to see with hope
While the others were blinded
By their ambition

There was a beautiful girl
In the chapel
I have never seen before
And she looked just like you

She kept turning and looking at me
And since I had a great view
Of her profile
I was able to confirm
Your image in her
And her image in you

I advanced towards the Chalice
And tasted the Blood of God
And as I returned to my place
I saw her glancing at me
I looked at her eyes
And she looked away

TASTE OF HONEY

We ate the fruit’s the earth
And the music cut our appetite
We bicycled towards the band

Their melodies spilled on the sidewalk
And we rode over them without fenders
So they could massage our backs

The owners always look weary
When the weather changes
They told the band to keep playing

They kept hoping for seafood
Trusting in beer as if it were rain
Examining the newspapers
Their money turning into clay

Siento tu mano JM
Y el viento agitado SM
De tu boca SM

pasa la tormenta jm
todos mojados sm
vivos flotando sm

CHANT


I laid on my back
And saw fighter jets over my sky
And their effects opened
Craters in my mouth

Kisses of medication
Killing the impending damage
And the holes were big enough
To become swimming pools
That could be filled with love songs

And she sang to me:

“I am searching for you
With fire
In my heart”

Please come back at 430
She said and then she sang again:

“I am searching for you
With fire
In my heart”

When I returned with
My war─torn mouth tilted
The medicine lady was waiting
For me on the sidewalk
And her lips extended
I hurried up the stairs and
I tried to run but the Novocain
Was pulling my hair & slowing me down

I wanted to hear that music again
My bruised body
Long for the singing healer
The musical surgeon
Of luminous moments

But the medicine woman
Caught me at the lobby
We sat face to face
And she told me

I come from
The land of your father
And my potions are
Strong enough to
Kill the chanting of the sirens
Listen to their songs
They’re all around us
Consider how they hunt
The city

Face to face
Smile to smile
Dark eye to dark eye

This is my city
I uttered with
The aftertaste
Of burned blood
Lingering inside
My mouth

I come from the Fatherland
She said with her medical eyes
Her seasoned lips
Her sea─hair
Adorning her presence
And I wrote down
Her formula
Her prescription
The name of her heart

And the music pulled
Me away from her
And she tried hard
To hold me down
But the harmony
Was stronger

“I’ll heal your soul
With my song”

The music came
From the other side
Of the opening door
And her voice said:
Come in


Her medical face mask
Accentuated her green eyes
Telling me a story
Of a river of lesions

“I am searching
For you
With fire in my heart”

Was she trying
To reach my heart
With her little swords
Penetrating the rooftop of my mouth
Searching for a voodoo doll

“I am searching
For you
With fire in my heart”

Her green eyes
Asking all the questions
All the queries
For the world
Happy to be a newlywed
And in the pursuit of procreation

“I am searching
For you
With fire in my heart”

Open to me
All your windows
Open to me
Your life
Trust me and undo
The awareness of your secrets
Because:

“I am searching
For you
With fire in my heart”

Don’t make the fire
Of my instruments disappeared
And tell me what other fruit
I will be eating

“I am searching
For you
With fire in my heart”

Tell me my future
And I tell you
Your weaknesses

And I walked away
With my losses
With my gains
With her persistent music
In the distance

“I am searching
For you
With fire my heart”

GRANDDAUGHTER


Granddaughter
You are up─right
Straight in─line
Correct on─line
It must be on
Your birthright

Granddaughter
You are beautiful
Not because you
Are my granddaughter
But because
You have my tu─lips

Granddaughter
You are healthy
Without being crazy

Granddaughter
You are such
A respectful demoiselle

Granddaughter
I smiled goodbye
And your chiseled face
Stood in place
But your heart
Gyrated like
A sunflower

Granddaughter
You work
On your precious feet
And exercise
On you shinny bicycle

Granddaughter
Mother of many creations
Willful allocator
Caretaker of my garden
Water my flowers

CONVENIENCE

Old white woman
With 3 young brown girls
Buying time

BIG CATS

People worship them but
They rushed to cut me down
I pressed the trigger & illuminated their day

COLLECTION


I saw your face again
Your beautiful face
Your clandestine face

And you looked tense
I could not reconciled
What I remember of your voice
With the photographs

And now you presence
Across my path
Such is the company
Of beautiful satellites
Classic artifacts of love

I am sometimes tempted
To tell you the power
You possess over others
I know you might have an idea
But I have the essentials

I have seen them
I have listened to them
I have their words
And studied their movements
And their desires

You!
Playful & beautiful
Middle-aged woman
With your suffering
As a relay signal
Of likelihood
Provoking the
Domino effect
On our foes

Let me know when
You find happiness
Because is not about
The highest magic wand
Save for the waters
Of the Most High

SUNDAY MORNING


God on the radio
Restructuring my ribcage
Less painful than yesterday

MOVING

Funky cars
On the prairie
Suns of vacation

DAWN

Pain wakes me up
Love is on the radio
But the bird song is better

SEE

We can’t see the sun
It hurts too much on the eyes
We can only wish


VEER

No podemos ver
Este sol con los ojos
Con el alma sí


TOS

Mi infraestructura se expande
Mi corazón suprime el dolor
Una lágrima se escapa


COUGH

My infrastructure expands
My heart suppresses the pain
One tear escapes

COUCH


Old man drinks
Newspaper murders in his hands
The liquid burns his lips

DRIVEWAYS


The people
These guys are young
Mid twenties

He got out of the car
She remained inside
Glancing at me

I drove away
But spot them again
On the driveway
Of a taco shop
Miles away

She looking at me
He looking straightforward
I driving towards the end

CAFÉ

Las doncellas
Hablan de tabaco
1 tiene aroma español

PERSPECTIVE

She looks prettier
When she blushes
Even if she belongs to winter

LA MESA

La mujer guapa come
Me mira ruborizada
Esposo e hijo en silencio

VISIT

The pair arrived
She’s nervous older & pretty
He’s younger nervous & intelligent

MANZANILLA

Sleep comes back
Thinking of your fresh kisses
On my right side

POLICE

Police machine
Police payment in heaven
Police patience for compensation
Police right away to exist
Police kindness
Police blindness
Police respect
Police truth
Police lies
Police the world
Police of summer
Police the things to come
Police little square
Police resignation
Police stagnation
Police contemplation
Police calibration
Police temptation
Police radicalization
Police paintings on the wall
Police the dreams of people
Police on the moon

NIGHT

Santana winds
Lingering around my ribcage
My heart contemplates


COCINA

Las verduras rugen
Con las caricias del fuego
Aroma de mañana

MAIL

She moved her toes
Outside the window
In the winter’s sun


SHIP

They wrote my name
Looking for an exit
On a wager
Indicating temperature

AFTERMATH

Dancing with memories
Images made of flesh
Her wintery happy smile

THE WAY HOME


Night ride
The street turns
Into a Van Gogh
Kiss of pavement
On my forehead

TIERRA PROMETIDA


Libertad para las flores
En los campos
De concentración

Salvación para una niñez
Bombardeada con
La política del miedo

Cuidemos la fauna
De nuestra época
Restauremos los mensajes
Del Amor

Despejemos
Cualquier intención homicida
Despejemos
Cualquier obstáculo
Que atente contra
La belleza

Construyamos túneles
De esperanza
Océanos de vida
Cielos de medicina
Con aviones en
Lunas de miel
Equipados con
Mísiles procreativos
Y bombas en gestación

Que la metralla sea
Semillas de bondad
Para la multiplicación
De árboles

Hidratemos las especies
Las que gobiernan
Esta esquina de Latinoamérica
Las que están
En aquel patio
De Palestina
Estos muros fronterizos
Aquel llanto
De Medio Oriente
Este parque de la amistad
Aquel parque israelí

Estas energías humanas
Con una misma sangre
Una misma intención
La supervivencia
La defensa de la sonrisa
El derecho a respirar
Aire libre de pólvora
La delicia
De tomar el sol
Sin las sombras
De murallas
Donde los niños
Y los poetas del mundo
Puedan caminar
Sin obstrucciones
En el camino
De la felicidad

CAFETERIA

2 Israelis trying to connect
It seems they just woke up
From their Mexican sleep



FEDERALES


The Federales pulled me over
So I got off my bicycle
And they asked me questions
About my work
About my radio
About my home

I noticed a similar pattern
To the boring migra questions
They repeat the same inquiry
More than once during their conversations
Hoping somehow you’ll give them
A different answer

“Are you nervous?”
“No just a little tired”
“Why do you want this radio?”
“I want it so I can operate it”
“This radio is used by the maña”
“The what?”
“The maña”
“The mafia?”
“The maña”
“I think you should be on a bicycle too”
“What?”
“Never mind”
“What do you do for a living?”
“I am writer”
“How many works have you published?”¨
“A few poems”
“Poems?”
“Poems…like poetry”
“So then you are a poet?”
“There you go”
“Can we search your belongings?”
“Sure”

They looked in my backpack
They rang my bicycle bell
They played with my Leatherman
They looked at my passport

“Are you a Mexican National?”
“That is correct”
“Thank you Sir”
“You are welcome”

They drove away
Holding their AR15’s
Close to their bodies
They seemed like nice kids

AM

I grip the cycle
On the line
Between dawn & day


CLONE

Yoko Ono
Walks with a child
In Mexican sidewalk


ROAD

Moving car
Amplified police faces
Passed us by


APPARITION

I saw him again
He’s still alive
Morning mixed feelings

MY FRIEND

The woman follows me
In the supermarket
She looks tired
And somewhat depress
I feel for her
Her husband looks sad

DE COMPRAS

Truenos de noche
Gimen las sirenas
Carabineros de prisa

SOL

La noche se quema
La noche clama
El día gana

BICYCLE RIDE

I pass the soldier’s station
They’re not there
Sun & wind hold hands

PERFECT

A bunch of migras
Looking lost
In car exhaust

SANATORIUM


It is the great sadness of the morning
The motion of my soul trying to escape
And being obstructed in my windpipe

This is my image of sorrow
Death by your side
By your beautiful side
Death next to you
Like it lingers around us
All the time

I still see you
Enchanting the road
With your mindful walk

The automobile destroyed
Your friend destroyed
Your hospital bed can be a sanctuary
And if you capture the flying imagery
You can survive because life
Does become beautiful

It is true that this is how you are
It is true that I see you in the future
At a better place
A place of fortitude & happiness
I believe you will survive in the
Glorious apparitions of your spirit

Luminous visions of medication
Holdfast to them because
These can change your life &
Make you see the sun
With different eyes

NIKO

Handyman of the tongue
Generalist of gossip
Constructor of his
Winter penitence

NOCTURNAL

The poet plays his guitar
I can’t help but dance
In the cold night

MERCADITO


Quise comprar
Y el lugar
Era tan oscuro
Tenebroso y silencioso
Como una funeraria
Un sepelio comercial
El suelo con los líquidos
Del desengaño

NEW YEAR’S GRIN

Policeman in line
I tell him not to get cold
I can’t help smiling
Cups of coffee in our hands

DMV2

The guy
Who runs this place
Looks like OJ Simpson
He seems to be nervous
It is only natural
It is only human

DMV


Those who work
For the state
Seem so clean
Sometimes their
Faces shine
Like a Hollywood ad

Beauty
Will be found
With its citizens
Not with its bureaucrats

Beauty
On the faces
Of healthy children

Beauty
The splendor of California

It is found
With its people
Specifically in
The beaming
Eyes of its mothers

DIFFERENT SUNDAY

On our way in
We gambled the water hole
I suppose we were on a hurry
But we made it through

On our way out
We decided to share
The cattle’s road

The beasts looked disturbed
But just for just a moment
They quickly got back to gracing
Here we avoided the clay & mire

At highway speeds
We could feel the consequences
Of our gamble

The car began to shake
Almost uncontrollably
At first I thought the worse
But as we continued travelling south
I had my easy kind of feeling
This always encourages me

We persisted in our hunt
For the governor of the sea
I got mine
They settled for
Ground meat & potatoes

BOARDWALK


Two Spanish kids
Walked by us
They were blaming
Each other saying
You’re dangerous
Back & forward
Their accents fell
On the crafted floor
And they slid towards
The ocean

NIGHT


The cat
Keeps jumping
On me
As I sleep
Wants to
Get cozy & all
And it’s not
Even mine

COFFEE SHOP

As I drink coffee
Little red ridding hood
Flirts with the wolf
Her father seems nervous
Her mother is good looking
And the wolf looks at me
And smiles

Saint Nicholas... the world needs your help tonight...

CHRISTMAS EVE


It had a rainbow
Like when God stopped
Drenching humanity

We entered
And one of the kids said
Thank you for the bicycles papa
& his brother said
Thank Saint Nicholas

The owner
Who was talking on the phone
Had a change in his voice

But Christmas is an event
Of gifts & happiness
Of good will & good faith

Papa?
Yes son?
We did you bought us bicycles?
For exercise son

These are better
Then video games

The owner got up
From his seat
And turned the heater on

This I know
Let the children play
With the bicycles
Of the world

I got a kindhearted woman do anything in this world for me
I got a kindhearted woman do anything in this world for me
But these evil-hearted women
Man they will not let me be

Robert Johnson.

PASAMONTAÑAS

Crossing the border
In the rain is okay
If you are inside a car
Joking & singing with your son
While he wears a ski mask

SEAFOOD ON SUNDAY


How tasteful is seafood
Delicious beings from the deep

The children are eating
I have mine with spices

The boys say
The Federales are also eating fish
I tell them it is normal
They get hungry too

Fish are good
Because they’re not greedy

We have a toast with
Coca Cola
Apple soda &
Dos Equis

Later the kids ask
For chocolates
Everything is perfect
But you are missing

BOOKSHELF


Coffee & books
Go hand in hand
Like the school’s children
On winter’s morning
It’s not my fault Gandhi
Doesn’t flavor caffeine

BUFANDA


Most beautiful appearance
In the labyrinth
Her dark eyes are
2 diamonds
Lodged in my mind
She consumes the world
In mandarin

MESSAGES


The woman at the grocery store
Waits in line to pay
For an encounter
She has stored inside
Her two wine bottles
At the parking lot
My classmate looks better
Than she did at high school
She smiles
I pretend not to look
Not to think about the fact
That I always liked her
But she noticed me looking at her
And she smiled again
Before driving away

I bicycled back to the fence that divides the two Californias, the one located on the northwestern corner of Latin-American, I wanted to see what was left of the poetic lines that had been attached to the metal wall, to my surprise there was still some ribbons ready to be read. The poetry remained despite of the rain.

The following is what I found:


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


the american dream becomes a nightmare


buscaré ahora, ¿mañana quién podrá?
vine a elevar mis esperanzas más alto que el vuelo de los cuervos.
poesía es amistad, amistad es corazón, corazón es para siempre,
como una constelación que correrá por tus ojos recogiendo tus lágrimas.

no les agradezcas la muerte que respiras,
¿qué más? si hemos aprendido aguantar
nevadas y huracanes.

la paciencia es el mejor camino al cielo
¡no más muertos! ¡no más bardas!
esta es la patria perfecta de la naturaleza humana.

lo más triste es que este cielo de vidrio
se haga sólo con mirarlo.
la poesía es el elixir de la vida.
¡abraza mi corazón!

el río de tijuana dijo
conoced ambos lados y yo dije: ¡siempre!
aquí se guardan las voces
de los que dijeron adiós,
lo más hermoso y bello que puedes tener
es encontrar alguien especial
inicio y fin de la mirada de los nómadas

escribir mi nombre pero
no había lugar para el ego
los emigrantes 4ta posada
regalos jugosas de Dios

paloma sobre el asfalto dormía,
sólo un ala le faltaba, y la vida.

amo libremente todo lo tuyo
el río dice que hay 2 lados pero 1 río
nosotros somos un río brillante

el mar espera contra la pared
el muro y la oxidación
son los alimentos del mar

KILL


I got the crow
In the air
He went down
With 1 shot
Entangled on
The barb wire
As he was dying
He began to sing

PRACTICE


More painful are the works of the soul
Than the aching body
Of a solstice exercised athlete

the sea sucking at the shore....

William Styron.

The following is for my lovely friend…..


DARK WOMAN


My arms can hold
The waist of love
Denim clad hips
The darkest skin

I have never loved
A dark woman
A brown woman
A desert woman
An eastern woman
An African woman

I think it’s time
For this
For more
Of this to occur

Possibilities in
A time machine

To take place
In the chambers
Of my soul

Sun bathed pigmentation
Of togetherness

The humidity of her pores
Will become coffee
In my mouth

If others have mistreated you
I will love you!

Daughter of the sand dunes
Maiden of the shadows
Mother Africa
Sister sun

Silvia in the ceiling of my eyes
Silvia of the skies
Silvia conqueror of deceit
Silvia light of my thoughts
Silvia front of passion
Silvia you’ll be the first because of this
Silvia with the most beautiful face in the world
Silvia do not conceal your splendor

Silvia!
Silvia!
Silvia!
Silvia!
Silvia!

I write your name 1 thousand times
In the night’s sky
My personal blackboard
For the codification
Of your beauty

Silvia!
I see you in every flower
In every rock
In the sea
In the mountains
I see you always
On the nature of my path.

QUESTION

The wind moves her skirt as she buttons it
She asks me:
Don’t you want this for your flag?

BACH


He died
A long time ago
Some believe
His music is beautiful

I think he had good intentions
His music was good
For what it was
But this is in the past

Bach
It be in your best interest
Not to threaten me

I consider you family
And I will deal with you as such

Do not interfere with me
Especially when it comes
To my children

STAGE


Let me put
My sun glasses on
I’ll look more mysterious

I’ll be your Natasha
You’ll be
My Boris

No
I’ll be Juan

I’ll be
Holding with my hands
What is always
What is forever

DEATH


Death is sleep
Death is every night

The devil don’t sleep
Because he’s truly dead

God doesn’t sleep
He does rest

Only humans sleep
Dead is being alive
Every morning there’s a resurrection

Death is everything
That’s doesn’t let you move

Death doesn’t exist
Because death is you

Death is
Under the guarache sandals
Of a Palestinian

GROWTH


I dreamt again
I dreamt awoken but still asleep
I dreamt you were speaking to me
Using words crafted by some kind of writer
I was half smiling half doubting
Navigating on the crooked
Dimensions of dreams
Trying to gauge the truth
With the movements of my soul
Putting aside everything I have been thought
In order to find disorder
The kind that makes for good euro─art
In your dreams you can resurrect the dead
In your dreams it’s easier to understand God
When your beautiful mind
Is not working that well
When your heart
Is being stretched by a tugboat

THIS MORNING

I dreamt the most beautiful flower
Her aroma clearing my airways
Wake up to orange peels on my coffee table

LANGUAGE

Hello you
Come down here
I’ll kiss your world

Flies are neurotic,
moths are crazy,
but for serenity you can’t beat a butterfly.

There’s no preparation for poetry. Four years of grave digging
with a nice volume of poetry or a book of philosophy in one’s
pocket would serve as well as any university.

Charles Simic

FRUIT


Beautiful maiden with long black hair
I smiled as I walked by
Her eyes lit like a bonfire on the sand

WAITING


Waiting in line
At the cash register
The smiley girl next to me
Wears a potent perfume that
Almost makes me sneeze

If she wasn’t standing
So close
Things would be fine

Once I paid
I hurried up pushing
My shopping cart towards
My bicycle

I noticed the
Owner of a boutique
Looking at me
So I hurried up & picked up speed
Almost the to the point of running

I heard my name being yelled
Juaaaan!
So I looked over my shoulder
And there she was
Waving her hands at me

I made a 360 with my shopping cart
And strolled towards her
And she said she wanted to thank me
For telling her
Everything was going to be fine
Not the be afraid
And that things were okay
I told her that I am happy for her
That is a good think to get rid of fears

And before she thought about
Asking me for a hug
I said goodbye
And quickly continued on my path
Towards my bike
And I was thinking of you

I LOVE


I love
To save the world

I love
Because is better
Than not loving

I love
To breathe better

I love
To exercise the heart

I love
To help others

I love
In spite of misunderstandings

I love
Because I am addicted to love

I love
With my eyes closed

I love
With my eyes open

I love
To speak softly in your ear

I love
To see you again

I love
To hold your hand

I love
For you to feel better

I love
To dry your tears with my touch


I love
Because today might be the last day

I love
To fight iniquity

I love
Humanity

I love
Everywhere

I love
For those who can not love

I love you

If a society without social justice is not a good society, a society without poetry is a society without dreams, without words . . . and without that bridge between one person and another that poetry is. If society abolishes poetry it commits spiritual suicide.

Octavio Paz.

This is why I have rendered myself a professional dreamer.

INVENTORY


One of life’s greatest pleasures is to drive
The negotiations of invisible corners
And unknown road obstacles

When the truth is withheld
The mode of movement
Is always by intuition

Always remotely

There are vehicles that you love
To touch
To steer
To guide

Instruments that become
And extension of your body
Of your existence

They’re always kept
And protected
In house

Works of art
Render untouchable

Only reserved for
The best vocation
For highest orders
For spiritual realities
Vessels of high degree

The others
You have to lease to strangers
High risk contracts
Always with depreciation
Short life span

If they break
They will break on the competition
Explode on their faces
Or their asses
Burn their houses &
Sabotage their plans

Some creations are meant to be destroyed
Vessels of disposable degree
The Japanese understood this
When they implemented the kamikaze

Go
Kiss my enemies
And do what you
Know how
To do best

ACROSS MY TABLE


I saw her
At the mystic kitchen
A light beaming
From above
Her eyes
Illuminating the
Tables with bounty &
Hope inside
Coffee cups
With future
Resting comfortably
On red salsa bowls
Waiting to be digested
By dazzled intentions

Delightfully silent
Her lips
Like the waves
Of my ocean
Her face beginning
To redden despite
Her DNA composition

The mark of my kiss
Embedded delicately
In her forehead
Invisible love scar
Encrypted with
The fire of trust

Silent she sat
Sighing with the
Aroma of language
The curvature of her lips
Made all the statements
That were necessary
She was dressed to know the truth
Her black hair covered
Her beautiful face
Her countenance

CARTA DE AMOR


Tú eres mi carta del amor
Clandestina y especial
Tú eres mi tesoro del azar
Milagro de la suerte
Antídoto de mis incertidumbres
Medicina de mis cielos
Brillo de mi realidad
Mi coordenada de hermosura
Mi estrella del alma
Mis caricias de viento
Mis encantos de luna llena
Mis sueños con sabor a ti
Mis nubes y mis lluvias
Mi flor de playa

THE LADY



When she came back from the army
I always thought she would get tired of me
And cut me down with her sniper skills

Instead she took my pen
And stabbed
My back with it

I wonder if I still have the scars

I laid on our bed
And told her
I would get
Ink poisoning
Told her I was going to die

She began to cry
Like the time when
I was outsmarted
By a dog & ended up
With a hole in my head

She kissed me
She kissed every
Open wound
She made love to me

YUMA


This time your siesta
Will be longer that expected

You can’t forget how to play the strings
And this is good because
You will need
This knowledge forever

Playing guitar was never hard for you
It was your delight
It gave you meaning

You played your way through life
And you will continue
Doing this while resting &
Waiting to be awoken by Him

It was your music
When you asked me to sing
“Teach your children well”
And your guitar would change
The sea & the night

It was your music
In military turf
Your Native American music
Playing the bathrooms of war

It was your music
When beautiful
Protestant women
Anglo-Saxon women
Would tried to convert you
Their lustful trembling eyes fixed on you
As they try to pray for your salvation
So they could marry you

It was your music
As I drove into the USA
And you drove shotgun
Reading those secrets of yours
Telling me not look at what
You were seeing
Telling me I was still too young

It was your music
Hitched to moving vans
Overcrowded with missionaries
Your music shouting:
Stop!
Don’t go!

350 FAHRENHEIT

A ghost
Cooks in my
Mother’s kitchen

THE WOMAN NEXT TO ME


I saw her again
She looked weary
Somewhat fretful
Her freshness & her smile
Had disappeared

At the coffee place
She looked incredibly attractive
But here at this
Warehouse of images
She seems vulnerable
Her children stood with her
Perhaps it was the haste
To switch colors

After all this time
I still feel the distress of others
I never managed to get rid
Of that sensor

It’s your turn Sir, you are next
She said

I had forgotten
We were both on the same line
And the salesmen
Behind the artifacts
Were calling me
Making signs with their
Hands & arms
So I would approach them

I was there
But my mind was elsewhere
And my heart was
Was far away

INTRO

It has begun
Tonight my baby boy
Asked to sleep with his guitar

DESCIFRAR


El triunfo
Es un estado mental
Una encrucijada
De sentimientos intervenidos
Si supieras
Contra quién compites
Tu encandilamiento
Se convertiría
En la más intensa euforia
Y la llamas
En lo que siempre han sido
En las caricias de Dios

Even after all this time
The sun never says to the earth, "You owe me."
Look what happens with a Love like that!
—It lights the whole Sky. (Hafiz)




Writing a love poem is like building difficult quarters, the edification of an ambitious house; it is a launch of happiness in every direction with your eyes shut. A love poem always looks for the personification of this dear virtue that is mandated by the most beautiful religions of the world. Once you have your muse, your inspiration, your conflagration, once you have lost every single fragment of rationalism and your aesthetic guide has taken over to become your autopilot, once that magnificent image has proven willing & able to be the visual & lyrical epitaph of Love, then & only then, it is time for such an endeavor to begin. This is my poetical wager, my hunt for the deadly essence of passion, my will to capture the dangerous ardor of romance so I may study it, so I may admire it, so I can contemplate it, but above all else, so I can expand the intensity of life by standing next to its (her) fire.

SAFARI THANKSGIVING


Dance the African dance
Dance in the Safari
Giving thanks in the bush
See the lions
Grateful for their large supplements
Still moving to the rhythm
This body will nurture
Their feline strength

Ponder the game of survival
The sparks initiated
By the will the participate
In the extraction of energy
Of this organic mass
That emanates wonderful
Units of electricity

Feed upon the light
Of courage
Digest the impulses
Of desperation
Bite chunks off
Large pieces of insolence
Meditate on the fragments
Of disrespect
Lodged between their fangs

Gorge now
Because a dish like this
Is very strange indeed &
We don’t know
What tomorrow will bring

Come!
Beings from the wild
Consider the open eyes
Of the prey
Judge for yourselves
If this meat
Is not nutritious
The necessity of it
For us to continue
Walking on the land
Of this radiant continent

Do not chew in anger
But ponder the need
For this our nourishment
It is good for all of God’s creation

Think about this my furry friends
As you tap that rich source of sustenance
For the food you are eating
Will make it leaner
Because nature has endowed you
As master craftsmen
Of this being
Taking away the excess of imprudence
Making of it a beautiful work or art
A skeleton worthy of love
And tenderness
A proper relic to be had
In one’s home
Located at the right place
With the cleansing of oil &
Prayers of thanksgiving

FOTOGRAFÍA


Las bóvedas celestes
Nos pertenecen
Amor invisible
Auténtico como el oxigeno
Explosivo para los malvados
Aliciente de enamorados
Deliciosos secretos
Que desatan
Celebraciones infantiles

THE BUS


We sat facing each other
She smiled at me & I smiled back
Then she began to play with her hair
Using her fingers as a curler iron
& I kept smiling for her
& then I looked through the windows
She began to play
Putting her finger inside her mouth
Trying ferociously to recapture my attention
But there is always other amusing
Miracles to look at
& she pulled the string
& the bus stopped
& she was gone forever
& I was beginning to feel comfortable
When 2 precious girls sat next to me
1 to my right
The other 1 to my left
Instinctively I tried to get up
And move to another seat but
They were both sitting on
The flaps of my jacket
And I could not takeoff
They were commandeered
By an old woman wearing a shirt
With a recycle symbol on it
Who was sucking on a lollipop
& looking straight at me
& all of them began to play with
Their hair….
But I was more concerned with
The prettiest princess sitting
In the corner holding a notebook
On her lap that said “English”
Nervously covering love poems
The she had written on her hand
& she was having none of this
But she was sighing…
& I was nailed down to my seat
Thinking about the heavenly woman
Who is now living in my heart

HOSPITAL


When they sleep
Rapidly moving their eyelids
It’s because the dreams
Have entered
Have pierced
The soft tissue
And the healers make sure
The visions are like belladonna

I’ll take your fright
And give you my hands
So you can softly bite them

More & more

More of your breaths
Injecting your sorrow
Into my recycled steps

Love is hard work!

You can sleep in
If you want to
At this station
We have this kind of opulence

Here
Clocks & watches
Stop working
When you’re happy

LA MAÑANA


Nubes de pólvora
Son velo de sol
El oriente se ilumina
Los muertos descansan
Los vivos terminan sus jornadas
Un gallo canta

SMALL


Beauty lies
On imperfection
Like helicopters
Flying on the wrong
Side of the sky
Like bicycles
On the world’s runways
Like my lips
Waiting to kiss you

STORE NEXT TO SEA


The Americans stock pile on beer
And they look so happy
And I am happy for them
Because they deserve it

Everybody deserves it
If they like to race let them race
And drink from those bottles
Filled with sunshine
Let them flee for their commercial bondage

As for me I’ll keep watch over
The extremely attractive girls
They enter & exit as I try to slice up poems

The tall one with penetrating eyes
Keeps looking my way
Locking her black pupils
With the eye of my heart

These girls are on a race of their own
And if I was the judge
I would give the grand prize
To the one sitting to my left
I like the way her eye liner flows
Over her native features

And they keep coming & going
Their esthetic brains working
Like day laborers just before a strike

Ah the one with fair skin
She wears the net on her legs
The net that will catch the imagination of men
And overthrow a multitude of principles

And the men look more afraid than the women
And the children look the happiest
Because they race with their imaginations
And their victories cause no damage
Neither hurt nor pain
The children triumphant &
Modification of our future

VOCABLOS


Salen de la boca
Como platillos voladores
Aterrizan en oídos ilusos
Ya casi es invierno pero hace calor

Taladran como bacterias en los tejidos
Amados como todo lo que hace daño
Como la anemia de los comercios

Los combatientes
Sufren el terror de la música a la moda
Modificación de sus fervientes ideas

Para la purificación
De sus materias primas
Y sus cuerpos
Danza el óleo sobre el lienzo

Una imagen no son 1000 palabras
Una palabra es un proyecto
Es la detención de tu atención
Un momento perdido de tu vida
La fatiga que te hace tomar asiento

GENUINE


Artificial thunder
Is not better
Than the real thing

It happens more often
And simulated damage
Is worse than
Organic hurt

If only the world
Would stop fighting
The reins of love

Everything could be
As pretty as
A regular life span

A crown
Is always a symbol

It represents
The will of some
Over the will of others

Monarchy vs ambition
Wall Street vs royalty

Destined to fade away
Like caprices
Of our tender age

I invoke you
Christ the carpenter

I beseech your working class practicality
Your holy simplicity

Oh how many tables & chairs you have built

Oh Craftsman of my spirit!
Master of my Mexican soul!

The times I have worshiped you
Your fiery glance
Was better than a thousand crowns

Numerous times you appeared
Sitting comfortably amongst the poor
As I admired the fine workmanship
Of the furniture

MUELLE


─ ¿Juan, no le tienes miedo al agua?
─ No.
─ ¿De veras?
─ De veras.
─ ¡Hay Juan! ¿Y ahorita que es de noche, no te da miedo?
─ No.
─ ¿Te echarías un clavado al mar?
─ ¿Contigo?
─ A mí me da miedo
─ No hay nada que temer… nos podemos poner un traje de buzo. Además, no hay corrientes fuertes.
─ Juan, no sé cómo le haces.
─ ¿Cómo hago qué cosa?
─ Las cosas que haces.
─ ¿Cuáles cosas?
─ Olvídalo.
─ Está bien.
─ ¿Quieres vivir conmigo?
─ ¿Vivir contigo?
─ Sí, conmigo.
─ Ya vivimos juntos
─ ¿Por qué dices eso?
─ Porque toda la humanidad vive junta.
─ No es cierto.
─ Sí, todos vivimos juntos en el mismo planeta.
─ ¿Estás jugando conmigo?
─ No.
─ Te tengo.
─ ¿Qué tienes?
─ Te tengo a ti.
─ Sí, tienes mi amistad.

ORILLA


Dijo:
Tú eres
El poeta laureado
De los alienígenas
Y le dije:
También puedo meterme
Dentro de pájaros
Y volar hasta
Las ventanas
De hermosas doncellas
Y preguntó
¿Eres un poeta maldito?
Y le dije:
No
Soy un maldito poeta

TODAS LAS RAZONES DEL MUNDO

A S.P.

Te escucho en mis sueños
Te escucho en mí caminar
Te escucho en el canto
De las olas del mar

Mi piel y mi boca te escuchan
Cuando el mismo viento
Que pasó por tus labios
Toca mi cuerpo

Nuestras vidas
No son prisioneras
No han sido hurtadas
Por bandidos existenciales
Están a salvo
Escondidas en una tus pupilas
En el iris de tu ojo

El amor siempre ha sido
Un quejido inesperado
El sonido de la felicidad
La evidencia de la vida

Prefiero sentirte que pensarte
Y por eso siento nuestro futuro
Entre tantos árboles
En un jardín de sonrisas
Lo invisible no se puede robar
Nuestras visiones continúan

Los caprichos sólo son hojas
Frágiles que se transportan
Con el cambio de las estaciones
La música de tu fuerza
Está en los latidos de tu corazón

En 1 dimensión
Donde no existe el tiempo
Nunca es tarde
No se puede crecer hacia fuera
En el bosque de los espejos

El mundo es un lugar tan pequeño
Las distancias desaparecen
Con 1 paso puedo tomar tu mano

Las fronteras no existen
Para los espíritus
Pero los árboles sí
Es mejor estar en 1 árbol
Es mejor así

ELECTRONIC GLOW


Sleeping on
A mattress
On the floor
Is not that bad

As long as the children
Are sleeping
On their beds
And dreaming about
Conquering dinosaurs
Waking up & telling me about it
And listening to my advice
About what to do
When hunting alone

But now it’s time
To go back to
My low profile cradle

I am getting ready to
Read the poetry of
Rae Armantrout
Because this
Is like camping
Like sleeping
With the New Yorker
Something that happens
Not too often

PILAR EN EL CIELO



Ellos
Respaldados por intenciones centrifúgales

Pero nosotros
Plantamos nuestras semillas
Por todo el planeta
Respaldados por la supervivencia
Adiestrados para amar la tierra

Tú y yo
Plantamos semillas de amor
En nuestras memorias
Brotes de un millón de intenciones
Antídotos contra la incomunicación

Sembraré en tus ojos
Las imágenes más importantes
Senderos colmados de estrellas
Estrechos como la cintura
De una palmera

¡Oh Dios mío!
Guía mis semillas
Como guías los rayos del sol
Convierte a cada una de ellas
En embajadoras invisibles
En matrices de confianza
En protones antisépticos

SIRENITA


When I looked at sea
I thought I saw you
More beautiful than ever
Swimming with dolphins

YOUR IMAGE


Tonight I drank
Red wine
It felt
As if I were
Kissing your lips

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS


He was drinking it but
He stopped and poured
Orange juice
On the double grave
A little bit for each person
He’s on the right path
He just follows his heart
And he’s only a child