STRONG HOUSE


I knocked on their door
And 3 children opened
I asked if their parents were home
Mom is but dad is not
They answered
Can you call her?
They all ran in unison and came back
With her

Juan so nice to see you!!!!!

At the dinner table
We ate Italian ingredients
And drank Italian wine

And their 8 year old daughter
Played and incredible composition
On the family’s piano
And she said
I wrote it when I was
6 years old

The boy that likes to
Play at imaginary
Gun battles began to call me
Juan the Swan

And the other two
Were busy fighting over ice-cream
As their parents and I
Enjoyed the wine

The other child
Spoke poetic
He said:

The octopus lollipop
Looking at the open wound
The blood pours like wine

It was good to see them happy
Their parents were also happy
But they just don’t know
How happy they really are

FOUND


I found contrition once again
Hidden inside a service book
In the Buddhist temple
As they meditated I tried not to
Make too much noise
As I flipped the pages

I understand more why people meditate
It is to keep their sanity
Their meditation was lulling me to sleep
But I was not there to fall asleep
I was there to find the word I was
Looking for

Afterwards we drove to a restaurant
Its walls were decorated with skulls
We sat on a table next to a bar
Ordered our food & drinks
And began to consider life
Our food arrived and we began eating
And talking about existence

That’s looks good
Said one of the girls sitting next at the bar
My friend took her task for their innuendo
And made them order fish
The same as him

The bartender felt somewhat threatened
As he clamored for their attention
My friend told him to behave
Or he would tell the owner he was interfering
With the customers good ambiance

My girlfriend is a technical writer he said
And she took me to a poetry reading
But I did not like it
I did not feel like applauding the poets
There were just words without any feeling
I asked him if he liked his meditation ways
And he said yes
Then I think you will like haiku

I told him about the 5-7-5 rule
About the day and night
About the time of year
About how it should say so much
With so little
And he came out was this:

La Calaca

Las chicas guapas
Hambrientas de nosotros
Noche brillosa

Then the owner came to our table
And asked if everything was fine
He said yes
I said yes
And we talked about cinema
And about the haiku
Send it to me she said
I will place it next to the skulls

Then she invited us to her office
We talked about Benedetti & Jorodosky
The barman also entered and identified
Himself as a middleman
He seemed a little nervous
But I shook his hand
And told him I would like
To do business with him

COMO CASI SIEMPRE


La mañana llega como casi siempre
temerosa de lo que puede ocurrir
cuestión sospechosa
caprichosa porque sólo es
un momento finito
con una determinación
que sólo está ocurriendo
en intermitencias frecuentes

en el aire el amor es más evidente
a miles de metros de la tierra
sobre las nubes efímeras
en las caricias del aliento del creador
que sacuden el avión
poniendo a prueba
la elasticidad de mis nervios

pero la nave lleva tu nombre
y tu hermosura impregna la cabina
tu belleza sobre una mesa
descansa mirándome
quedándose dormida
yo también cierro mis ojos

NIGHT OUT


I saw the old man drinking coke
Once again tonight
This time there was no commentary
From my boys

I figured he got to reach old age
Because of the same reason George Burns did
And not from drinking the cola drink

Nonetheless I thought of you again
Because one member of the group
Who was next to us
Had your profile & school girl manners

And wondered if I would need to write
Some sort of similar letter
To a future grandchild

Always thought of writing letters to my children
But this was the first time
I entertained the idea of my children’s offspring

I asked if they liked
This movie better than yesterdays flick
They said they liked them both about the same

On our way home
We stopped at our favorite taco stand
There was a woman in a red car
She seemed to be waiting for us

We did not pay much attention
Because we were hungry
And wanted to eat some carne asada

The kids got the table
They follow the protocol flawlessly
And I felt so proud

The woman in red had an attendant with her
They both got out of their vehicle
And sat close to us

We won she said
And her friend took out his cell phone
And make some calls

We won all over the state she said
As we bit the best red meat in the world
And cars honking and weaving flags
Were driving by & the boys began
To make comments about bread

GHOST


I place the photograph
Where I like it
And it keeps
Moving it back
Putting it back
And I place it again
And it moves it back
And we do this
On and on
I never thought
Such annoyance
Would be funny

RETROCESO


revolucionario derribado
ante el gigante de plasma
yaces recordando
tus antiguos triunfos
hipnotizado por la radiación
del arco-iris
luchas de nuevo
oprimiendo códigos plásticos
que siembran ampollas
en tus dígitos guerrilleros
en tu mano reposa
tu nueva arma de silicio
que el señor tenga piedad
de tu mente embrujada

THE MANUFACTURE OF ART


The man on the entrance with sunglasses was talking on a cell phone, he greeted us as we passed him by, his badge was next to his tie, I did not bother to read his name. We entered the building and I saw the girl, the girl that walks with her eyes. I thought I would never see her again and I was happy because she had endured. I was happy to see her inside her dream.

At the security desk one of the guards was suspicious of me, but the Native American was a believer, he smiled as he gave me a visitor badge, and walked with me through the glances & cautious smiles of office workers. The guard opened the office door and said:
“Hello”
A voice from inside said:
“Come in”
I entered and saw my friend smiling. The guard disappeared & a secretary fill his void. I did not trust her.
“Sit down” said my friend.
“I rather not” I said.
“That’s fine… tell my about your project”
“Not here”
“Do you want some coffee?”
“Sure”
“Follow me”

We walked pass the front desk and headed towards a reading room where there were two coffee makers. We filled the Styrofoam cups and exited towards the garden. We sat on the table next to a window and a window washer appeared.
“I hope you understand” I said.
“I do” he said.
“What you want to do” I asked.
“Unknown voices towards known destinations… transmissions towards the ether”
“That sounds good, but I think you need help”
“I know”
“You want me to set up a station?”
“Maybe we can do it with the net”
“That’s a good idea”
“I have to get back before they get upset”
“Relax, have fun, remember that you are not alone”
“Thank you”
“You are welcome”
I walked back to the security desk but the two fellows were not there anymore. 3 girls were now on duty and one of them looked so much like you.

ALBEDRÍO


Las llamas
Consumen el bosque
Los espejos se transforman

Días y noches de resplandores
Los pinos son antorchas
La fauna se convierte en veladoras

Es el amor silvestre
Es el cariño natural
Es una parte del mundo

Que siente calor
Que desea crear el futuro
Que desea consumir el pasado
Es el poema de nuestros espíritus

ABSOLUTELY


Rotation is only movement
Just like love is only love
And it moves lovers
To strange places

The truth is the truth
Lies are only lies
Nothing more
Usually a lot less

The world is the world
And it is yours
With a US passport
And now we can
See it spinning

Sinking to the bottom
Of the sea
The best place to be
The world
Is a wet location
For the most part

Getting your feet in the water
Is not a horrible thing
It is a matter of acceptance
Consider this
H20 is a chisel

Reason is simple
Persuasion is as natural
As life itself
It is those efforts
That create confidence

SANITY


Fear is smaller than love
On summer’s Sundays
When the western light
Takes the windows
That face the ocean
When my eyes penetrate
The beauty of your image
When our efforts
Become the only hope
Alive in our hearts
When the truth
Becomes brilliant like the sun
And dark as a night with a new moon
Compelling like the best of intentions

MEXICAN DISH


Eating tongue
Is not the same
As kissing it

The ingredients
Can hide the fact
Of the messages
Conveyed by grazing
And now converted
Into food & energy

Kissing a cow
Is not the same
As eating it

I rather kiss a fish
Before eating it
Fish are not paranormal
They swim in the sea
Waiting to become
The food of love

CAZESSÚS


I took my seat and waited
For the reading to begin
And what happened next became a show
Electricity and vocal chords
Colors and sounds
Spoken images
Visual metaphors
Images that danced
On the wall capriciously
Not everybody endured it and it reminded me
Of the time I saw Ginsberg read
And how some people got up
And left the theater
But THIS was in Spanish
And it was better
Because she reads good & she
Was more pleasant
To look and to listen to than Allen and
Her voice was the chanting of nature
The tremolo of instinct
The justification of humanness
She was the brave new planet
She was the intelligent provocatrix
She was the city that spoke

Outside there was a table
With food and
Numerous bottles of wine

I drank the wine
And observed
The dead fish inside the bowl
And it look delicious
So I grabbed a nacho ship
And dipped into it
Ate part of it
And felt the food particles
Getting stuck
In between my teeth
As I considered
The old Italian man serving
Red wine to poets & writers

Antonieta Villamil said:

It must
Be the wine
And then
She wrote:

For Juan,

To see is beyond
The dancing observation
The light on the eye
A premonition that exposes


I got in my car
And arrived at an obscure
And strange place
But the wailing of the fire engines
Alerted me of the right of way
I drove toward the city
Towards the lights
Towards downtown
And soon a parking attendant
Was trying persuade me
With a Cuban cigar
But I kept walking towards the tavern
And met my friends
They were drinking beer in green bottles
And reciting poems from memory
And when it was my turn
I tried to remember a poem
But I had an unpleasant recollection
So I created 1 poem
As I spoke

LIGHT & DARKNESS


There’s always shadows
On one hemisphere
Of the planet

As if that side of its body
Was bruised
Was hurting
Was recovering

And the other side
Pristine & beautiful
Filled with youth & exuberance

One side
Treated with medications
Incantations
Reconciliations

Transformations & modifications

The other
Making an appeal
To the restoration of darkness
The medicine of instincts
The pleasure of sleep

SUMMER WISH


There’s new birds on my tree
An international airport of
Winged creatures

All of them beautiful
All of them leaving messages
About you

I look at them
And then I look
At your motion picture
And it feels like
Summer more than ever

I have your images
On the mirrors
Of my mind
Now all I need
Is you

¡YA ESTÁ!


la espuma blanca
el suelo oscuro
contraste antropológico

instinto de una
vida transformada
existencia modificada
donde pisan los sueños

el aguador
con su porte de supervivencia
presencia de gladiador
atacador invisible
todo un alma de Dios

llenó mis 3 garrafones
y los rayos ultravioleta
golpeaban el chorro de agua
disparando luces por doquier

esa noche
mientras comentábamos
tus poemas
los poemas que modificarán
el futuro
un hermano profirió:

o sea
que desde allí...
¡ya está!
del pellejo
del cuero
de la piel
¡ya está!

SILBIDO

La velocidad de Dios
Acaricia el mundo
Y toca corazones
Transforma las cosas
Provoca música
Nuevos planetas
Evidencias de vida
Que hacen soñar
A los curiosos
Y suspirar
A los amantes

IS YOUR FATHER HOME?


The rich man knocked on the door
When I answered
I found him
Staring at the dog
On the floor

He was an idiot
He could not tell
It was dead

“Is your father home?”
“No”
“Do you know when he will be back?”
“No”
“Can you tell him I stopped by?”
“Yes”

He then left to one
Of his many business
Or perhaps to his mansion
By the beach

I placed the dog
In a black plastic bag
And buried it

thrill


the assessment of love
with the division
of germinating words
that grow like trees
in my soul
i have to survive
such state of your life
such existence
of your wishes

MORNING SHOPPING


They were at the where house
I greeted them both
1 heart felt hug for each

Are you okay Juan?
I don’t look okay?
You do
You look better
But your mind seems dispersed

My mind is in a thousand places
But my heart is in one place

Stop by the shop
Bring the kids
So we can eat together

As they were leaving
His mother said to me
God is blessing you
And I believed her

SHORE


Fishing line is transparent
Almost invisible
I first noticed it on my shoes
Then I saw it tangling up my leg

The fisherman told his wife
“Look… we got one”
They smiled at each other
And I smiled back at them
Untangled my feet
And walked away

I was stepping
On nature’s semiconductors
And my joints were thankful

A white & blue fishing boat
Was near the shore
And a father & son duo
Passed me by
He said to the young boy
Don’t get hooked

RIDE


Driving near the ocean on summer days
Is very pleasant
Brilliant particles of presence

Beauty signs are always
On my cardinal points
Sometimes on other cars too
Sometimes on foot

Most often
On the corner of my eyes
Identifying the similarities
Of your company

That mixture of fear & excitement
Becomes pleasurable
Like the idea of you

MEN @ WORK


The rear-actor is on the street
It has destroyed the pavement
Making a wet trench

Muddy waters
But this time
Without music
Just radio chatter

I noticed its case number
Near its roof
The roof that protects
Its operator
From the elements

A generator that has wheels
Was next it
It told the story
Of past and present victories
On its body

A dump truck arrived
With a greeting inscribed
In red and white numbers

It said:
We are always
Here for you

PRECIOUS


Becoming filthy
Might be unavoidable
When you make your stand
On the ground

It is always a learning experience
A vote towards cleanliness
You’ll never want to be tainted again

The most painful part is
The remembrance of
The invisible existence of life

The cleansing properties of fire
Uncomfortably necessary
Medicinal brewing of the heart
Mind & soul

GLANCE


Writing off the lines
Writing in strange places
And understanding
The commencement of feelings
Real & artificial

Feelings that propagate airborne
From heart to heart
From hospital to hospital
From beginning to end

Reading the glance of the soldier
As he shakes my hand
Rewriting my reality
As I drove on a street
Plagued by accidents

DRAWN BY DAY


The dominions of the mind
Are the easiest to create
Or to destroy
To tumble
To lift up
At the end
Only the truth remains

When I descended on the stairway
Towards the beach
I noticed it was tilted
And full of grains of sand
That taste like salt
Placed there by water

I stood on them
And considered
The people walking around
The ocean
The islands

The sanitary workers
Taking care of garbage

The depressed housewives
Walking like zombies

They young
The old
The terrified
The elated

MUSIC


—Juaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan, Juaaaaaaaaaan, Juaaaaaaaan! Somebody shouted in the night… since there must be a million Juan’s where I live, I did not paid much attention.
—Dad, I think somebody is calling you.
—You think so son?
—Yes, I think so.
—Do you know who it is?
—Let me go and find out.
—Very good then.
I returned to what I was doing: trying to persuade a friend —by writing— that “things” pretty much remain the same, it is human beings that change.
—Dad, it’s grammas friend.
—Thank you for looking soon.
—You are welcome Dad.
I walked towards my door and noticed she was already at the courtyard. I approached her.
—Hello.
—Hello Juan. Do you know where your mother is?
—I don’t know.
—Do you know what time she’ll be back?
—No.
— She supposed to meet me here. Can you take me home?
—Why don’t you wait a little bit longer…and see if she comes back?
—Okay, I will do that.
I walked back to my room and closed the door. The music was still on, the same song I have listened to many times, the same song that tells me something new each and every time. I remember something I read many years ago, it was a list about the most important things for people, number one was water, number two was food or shelter or something like that; what got my attention was that number five. It was music. Maybe if the lady waiting in the living room for my mother, maybe if she listened to some music she would feel much better. While the children were playing at being the coastguards, I was considering if English or Spanish is the better language. The better language to explain life. Perhaps music can heal cancer. The tingling of the guitars… the affirmation of the base… the unquestionable markings of the drums… the playful organ… the giggles that hide in the keyboards… the soulful sax… the soothing voices… the aftermath of the band.
—Juaaaaaaaan!
The same voice calling one more time. I felt better, readier, happier, determined to do what is proper and good. I stood and walked towards the door once again as I said:
—I’ll be right there!

24/7 OF BELIEF



I believe in the fire
That kindles my heart
That I can believe in

I believe in my dreams about you
I believe in your brightness
I believe in your darkness
I believe in what you think you believe

I believe you can sing
And I believe you will

I believe I saw a fish
Biting its own tail
I believe you might
Lose you wager

I believe you are
In a forest of reflections
Holding hands with
The most elusive of intentions

I believe in the worlds you dream about
I believe in your satellites of love
I believe in the space-craft you gave me

I believe the music
Will stay with you forever
And the colors will keep changing
Like they always do
When the light
Pierces the night

GATHERING


There were 2 gamming tables
I suggested poker
But they looked at me strangely

It is understandable
There were children present

But we played a game board
In which the one
With more trains on Europe
Would win

I never played that game before
But I had a good instructor
And at one point
I was even winning

I enjoyed the cow we ate
Spices always make
Such an endeavor
A tasteful practice

And the beer was also good
Enjoyed the good company
And the suspicious company too

The chocolate cake was a success
I couldn’t refuse coffee after that treat
Caffeine & alcohol
Have a peculiar effect

I thought about this
As I sat and watch the boys
Play videogames

There were so many games
One had its own waterfalls
And little boats full of gems
Being lost in the mists
Of the cascades

I recognized the music
Even though I had a feeling
We had a remote DJ
But nonetheless it was also good

At the end
The kids were explaining to us
Why they like science fiction movies
We sat and watched one with them
It had special effects

MATUTINA


El canto del pajarito
suena como ametralladora
más orgánico que metálico
placentero para unos
repelente para otros
y los niños tocan
sus tambores y cornetas
en la banda de guerra

POETIC PATRON


Este vato es poeta
De los cabrones
Está bien perro
Empezó desde morro

I did not know what to make
Of the introduction
But I think I took it
As a compliment

The guy in the new truck
Just looked at me and said
Nice to meet you
And I replied likewise
Then he drove away

Then my friend said that he was
Sorry about the interruption
That the fellow was
A client of his
And that he
Needed to take care of him

I told him
It was fine with me
And then he asked me
What he could help me with
And I told him I had come
To reimburse him

He then changed the conversation
And asked me if I was happy
And I answered yes

Then he explained to me
The things that make him happy
And they were perfectly
Understandable things
Like the sea
Competition sports
And sex

Then his neighbor
Opened a window
And began to play guitar

He’s kind of crazy my friend said
He looks happy to me I said

Yes he’s happy but he’s odd
He has this dog that lives with him
But he hardly feeds it
He says he doesn’t want her
To get fat

But since you speak English I think
You might get along with him
He’s a veteran

We continue chatting about
When we were children
And about the need for exercise

When I paid him
He said thank you
He told me he appreciates
The difficulty of delving into poetry
Day by day

We shook hands and said goodbye
He returned to his world of numbers
I returned to my
Wars with words

CAMOUFLAGE


Sometimes when they speak
Sorrow escapes from their mouths
And it is good that only a few notice

And you hope for the best
And then you feel their pain like Bill Clinton does

You realize that success is a commodity
This is when you feel like crying for the world
But then you control yourself and suffer in silence

And this sometimes provokes a strange laughter
And you try to control the muscles in your stomach
And when this fails you pray

Then you get used to it
And it gets better and you feel alright
And you are ready to start all over again

SCHOOLYARD


I waited at the school gate
And I saw a school girl
Hugging my son

He did not seemed embarrassed at all
Then I think I saw her
Give him a kiss on his cheek
But I wasn’t sure
Maybe she was just telling him a secret

I entered the school and approached them
She was hugging him alright
And he was just standing there
Looking good
Posing chic

This sort of thing did not happen to me
Till I was in 5th grade
He’s on 3rd grade and he’s already
Under the arms of an admirer

I need to have a father to son talk with him
I didn’t suspect it would have to
Be this early

PURSUIT


A greeting under artificial light
Is like the evasion
Of a bed of fire

Like nights full of energy
That work with the shadows
Of public chambers

Desires in the dark
Hidden from the rays of light
Hidden from the morning

With the help
Of nicotine stained curtains
Empty bottles of water next to your lipstick
And the soothing sounds
Of an AM radio

AFTER THE READING


Can I take your plate away?
Asked the waitress to
Poet (Francisco Bustos) on my right
He said yes but I said
Hold on let me grab one of those
Mini tostadas and I took it & placed it
Inside my mouth

Crosthwaite who was at my left said
I want the tamal
You want me to reheated for you?
Asked the waitress
He said yes

Then Carlos Monsiváis walked in
With his entourage
And sat on the next table
Ordered diet coke
And ate saltines

Crosthwaite worked on the tamal
And asked me:
Do you want some?
I hesitated for awhile
And then he said
It’s not that spicy
It’s just normal spicy
I grabbed my fork and stabbed the tamal
Cut a piece from it
And ate it
He was right
Is was as bland as it gets

I noticed there was a guy following us
With a video camera
I was told by poet
(Brandon Cesmat)
He was a film student
Working on a film on borderline poets
He looked like a good kid
He sat and ate & drank with us

On the far end table sat a couple
The lady look so much like you
Her companion seemed upset
She seemed so sad
And her eyes were like your
South American eyes
He looked at me with hatred
But I was just looking
At her eyes

What they don’t understand
said Crosthwaite
Is that when I am looking
Towards the heavens
With my eyes fixated up above
I am actually working
I agreed with that notion
Crosthwaite continued:
Pablo Neruda’s wife
Was actually very hard on him
Had him on a tight rope
Perhaps all writers wives
Are similar

Meanwhile I was thinking
On the Montecristo’s
That the clerk behind the counter
Had showed me
Shuffling with temptation
To smoke
Or not smoke

From a far
An old doctor looked at me
Sitting stoically at his table
He has lost most of his hair
What little he has left is white
And I remembered
When I was 8
Convalescing in his hospital
The doctor stretched his arm
As if trying to shake my hand
Via long distance

Look!
The baby is looking at you
Crosthwaite’s fiancee said
I love babies I said
Good you can take her for a week!
Crosthwaite said
I rather make my own
I answered

SUPERMARKET


I want chocolate!
I want a muffin!
I want potato ships!

But on my list
I have writing different things
Nonetheless I get some pastries
For the boys

I push the shopping cart
Towards the dairy section
I am looking for Swiss sour cream

A midlife lady looks at me
And says I am sorry
And then she walks away
Her eyes focusing on the floor
Slowly pushing her cart

When I am about to pay
For the bread
A tall American
Long white hair and beard
Blue eyes
Older but healthy
Dressed like a sea shaman
Asks the clerk to help him
With the ingredients of
A carton of soy milk

When the clerks informs him
He gives a radiant smile
And shows his hands
One giving thumbs up
The other holding
The carton of Ades

el carro verde


una niña vestida de verde
escoge flores
en el jardín de mi madre

camina lentamente
apuntando con sus dedo índice
las que llaman su atención

cuando sostiene 3 flores
en sus pequeñas manos
3 colores diferentes
camina hacia la calle
donde un auto la espera

detrás de las persianas
considero lo que acaba de ocurrir
recuerdo mi infancia

AROUND NOON


When my car broke down
We pushed it backwards
Uphill amongst traffic

This was not the first time
This is a mechanical failure
It is as common as death & love
Two things generated
In the world of circumstance
Just like when I spoke into the microphone

Not the first time
An eco answered me
And assisted my distress

When the tow truck arrived
I watched as my car was pulled
With a winch to the top of the platform

Then we drove towards the ocean
And I told the driver I liked his truck
He said: she old
And I kept my silence

When we arrived at the mechanic’s shop
My car was placed on the street
I paid the driver and said thank you

When the mechanic told me to get in my car
So I could steer it into the shop so his associate
And him could push the vehicle forward
I asked his associate if he could handle it
Since he looked beat & tired
He look into my eyes and said
I am married… I have no choice

BUENA SOMBRA LO COBIJA


The lady to my left
Made for a good conversationalist
It didn’t take long to strike
A good dialogue
It was somewhat eerie
Because she looked like
My ex wife

An old lady at the front of the line said:

Buena sombra lo cobija…

It was somewhat strange
Because my ex mother
In law was there too
Guarding her place on the line
It was her in the flesh
That I know for sure

The elderly woman spoke once again:

Buena sombra lo cobija….

The lady to my left looked at me
Like my ex wife did
When she was falling
In love

And the lady at the front whispered:

Buena sombra lo cobija

The lady who looked like my ex wife said
I am tired of standing & the floor looks clean
I think I will sit down
I think is a good idea I said
She sat down leaning against the wall
And crossed her legs
I also sat down beside her
She said: this feels like school
And I said: yes it does

Those words again:

Buena sombra lo cobija….

Do you remember the swimming pool
I asked her
She said yes
Remember it was waterless?
She answered: yes
Now it has water
But she kept looking at me
In that peculiar way

Buena sombra lo cobija…

And she said:
I worked very hard selling tickets
Raising funds for the school
And I never saw the fruits
Of my labor while I was there
But I know now
It is beautiful
And I said:
The swimming pool
Has been completely restored

Buena sombra lo cobija…

Her mouth began to dry up
And I thought of offering her
One of my Listerine oral care strips
But I didn’t want her to get
The wrong idea
To think I wanted to kiss her
Or something like that

Buena sombra lo cobija….

You have beautiful kids she said
Thank you I said
Are they twins she asked?
No, I replied
The otherness in her eyes
Was trying to breach
Into my soul

Buena sombra lo cobija…

She had sent her husband
To feed their children
While we waited in line
I noticed how she had her documents
Neatly organized in a binder
How intelligently she spoke
How good & kind her husband seemed to be
How pleasant their children were
How it was best for her
To be in that dimension

Buena sombra lo cobija….

Her cell phone rang and she answered it
She carried on with a conversation
While staring at me
Her eyes metamorphosing
And I waited for the old lady to say

Buena sombra la cobija…


My mother arrived with breakfast
(2 burritos and a cup of coffee)
And she saw the woman that looked like my ex
And her jaw dropped
It almost reached the floor
And the lady that
Looked like my ex giggled

Buena sombra lo cobija….

Then her husband arrived with their children
And she regained that sober look that
Accompanied her when I first saw her
Enter the government building
Then she left and the kind man
Who accompanied her
Took her place

Buena sombra lo cobija

I sensed a glance locked on my back
I turned around and looked
And there was a middle-aged woman
Dressed in black
With very fair skin
With very black hair
Her eyes were a mixture
Of kindness & desire
And she showed me the cover
Of the book she was reading:
The Law of Attraction

Buena sombra la cobija…

Then it was my turn
I walk towards the counter
And the clerk asked
How may I help you sir?

THE IMAGE MOVED LIKE A BOAT


We were lost
On the sea of our breathing
And it was ours

And there was nothing watching us
Nobody to ponder our
Unusual moments of happiness

It was better than Hollywood
Because the images
Were supra-real
Super surreal
Sup for the soul

I fought against fatigue
Your beauty was my energy
Your expressions were my vigor

LUZ DEL DÍA

Más bella que nunca
La luz de tu mundo
Acariciaba tu rostro
Y lo hacía resplandecer
Luminosamente existes
Te vi tan hermosa
Como la primera vez

EVENING WIND

I urinate on
The grass & pincher bugs race
Thirsty towards the liquid

ESTACIONAMIENTO


La bella señora
esperaba nuestra presencia
nosotros buscábamos especias

La bella señora
y un mecánico sudando
las gotas se deslizaban por su frente
y salpicaban la batería

Nosotros
nos concentrábamos
en la alquimia
de los alimentos

La bella señora
a un lado de nosotros
con un perro
en el asiento trasero

Nosotros
a un lado del mundo
las ideas eran
nuestras mascotas

La bella señora
con dilemas energéticos
nosotros con dilemas
de intercambios

Le bella señora
preocupada por su vehículo
nosotros preocupados
por la bella señora

Al alejarnos
en el carro viejo
aún se miraba bella
en la distancia

TEQUILA & THE FLU


My friend
My Hollywood friend
My BMW friend
My school friend
My wine friend
My party friend

My friend
Who warned me love
Has a salty taste

My friend
Who introduced me
To the church
But he did not enter

My friend
Who gave me money
When I had none
And when I told him
I bought beer & pizza with it
He gave me a strange look

My friend
With his beautiful girlfriends
His good advice
His firearms
His guidance
His suspicious ways

My friend
The daredevil
Fighting semi trucks
With his motorcycle

My friend
The soldier
The sinner
The human being

My God-fearing friend…

My friend the mystic
My friend who told me
He thought of me when
He read the adventures
Of Don Juan

My friend came to the city
And invited me to a party
And I looked at him preoccupied
Because I was sick with the flu
My friend said
You better rest then
And I said: nonsense
And grabbed my flask
Full of medicine
And place it in my coat pocket

My friend & I
Walking on wet sidewalks
Entering the a house
With 3 floors
And everybody began to say
Hello-how-are-you-good-to-see-you

My friend talked with his friends
And I took my medicine
And it was good
And heard the band playing
In the basement
I got happy & excited
And headed towards the stairs
But the medicine was good
And the flu was strong
And I managed to reach
The basement on my back

My friend:
Juan are you okay?
Juan are you okay?
Juan are you okay?
We better take him home

My friend
Who the next day
Took me to hospital
And said to me:
When you were lifeless
The girls began to cry
And I tried to visualize the scene but
I fell in love with the doctor
When she asked me if
I had a place to stay
And I almost said
Take me with you

My friend
Who took me back home
And sent his girlfriend
To check up on me
I was on my Murphy bed
And she sat on my side
And I could read her eyes
And they said something like:
Oh my poor baby
And then she got very close to me
Like the time my mother found me
With a Canadian girl on her bed
We were watching TV off course
But she got mad anyway
And she got so close to me that
I thought she was going to kiss me
Very brave no afraid of the flu
But she was my friend’s girl

My friend
Who turned religious
Like most of us did
And sent proselytes
To my doorstep
But the girls who lived there
Needed that religion more
Than I did because they were witches
And I think they scared the messengers
And I told them that I could not help them
And that was the last I heard from him

My friend
May his good deeds
Come back to him
May others help him
Like he helped me
Wherever he is

THE GIRL


Juan Martínez...
I looked towards my back
Searching for
The trail of her voice

And found
The most ethereal
The most benign
The most heavenly
Girl on the hall

Yes?
I asked her
Thank you for reading
The Clock and
Soy Leche

You are welcome and...
Please tell them
It is my pleasure

She smiled
Turned around
And walked
Out the door

POETRY READING


The American poet read
Something she called
A desert girl fantasy
I thought it was
A marvelous poem
I tried to contained
The emotions that
Such word stirred
Such as imported images

The second poet
Read about being
A writer
And the struggles
Of such reality
But my favorites
Were his war poems
I mentioned this to him
And he looked at me
With Viet Nam eyes

When it was my turn
I deliberately read
The most awkward
Of my poems
Hoping for the best
And a quick getaway
But an ex bureaucrat
Told me the poems
Where captivating
I asked why
He said it was the
Way I read them

I walked away from him
Got my check
From the host
And got out of there
As fast as I could

BETWEEN BUSES


An old fairy
Rode with me
On the bus

She had a pleasant face
And red hair
She wore denim
And sat all the way
In the back seat

We looked at each other
I looked at her sunglasses
And she looked at me
Her lips controlling smirk
A smile of
A nice lady

When she got off the bus
I watched her through the window
Walking away amongst traffic
And she disappeared

Now that she was gone
I sat on the back seat
On the corner of
That transportation vehicle
That always reminds me
Of a loaf of bread

A teenage girl sat beside me
And began to read
A love letter
Written with red ink

Her sunglasses had
Pleasing decorations
I read a couple of lines
Of her letter and decided
There were better images
To read on the other side
Of my window

At the final stop
I walked out of the bus
And walked into Mexico
I coveted the soldiers
Machines guns as
I passed them by
And hurried to
Catch a bus that
Would take me downtown

These buses are always better
Because they provide
Live music

The troubadour sang:

“para que nunca amenezca”
“para que nunca amenezca”
“para que nunca amenezca”
“para que nunca amenezca”

And the music
Provoked a beautiful black woman
Her eyes began to dream
An image that only
She understands
And I thought to myself
This is like nothing else

CORRIDORS


People move like ants
On the corridors of life
On the walkways of selections
And refusals

On the paths
Of savings & expenses

The expenditures
Of life
The investments
Of energy

Red & black ants
Proving their future
And capturing
The eye of God
When He wore sandals
And had a long beard
And long hair

People everywhere…

Don’t look at them
My friend said
There’ the ones
Looking at me
I told him

I look at their faces
And find difficult poems
That make me forget about food
That make me concentrate
On the poetry of
Their existences

Forget about them
Concentrate on your self
The thought lands
On my mind

A mind that has become
A garden
A racetrack
A bookshelf
A generator of acts

Forget about
That stem cell
The thought lands
On my eyes
With a red glare
And a coffee smile

OUT TO THE PARK


The bicycle wheels turned
Like cartoon eyes
Like spinning rocks
Like flying saucers

All the way to the park
And we continued
Riding our bikes
Till will grew tired
And climbed a tree

On the tree
I felt like I was
On top a bull
On an ecological rodeo

I thank my son
For inviting me up there
And I asked him if
He could see the horns
And the tail
Of the bull under me

He said yes
And grabbed the bull
By the horns
I grabbed its tail
And we rode
Above the ground

Flying with
The birds

And we were happy up there
And we read the names
Written on the branches
Of our tree

The beautiful house wives
Walked on the streets
Pushing their strollers
With beautiful babies
And beautiful smiles

Beautiful everybody
Exerting in the park
Some run & others
Walk their dogs
Some stretch
They stretch their limbs
And it looks painful
No one seem afraid of illness

POEMA AGRARIO

La tierra mojada

es un lugar fértil

El arado

la hace sensible

El amor a la tierra

es trabajarla

cuidarla y abonarla

De allí salimos

allí siempre volvemos

a enterrar nuestros muertos

Allí plantamos

nuestros árboles

y pizcamos los frutos

del sudor de nuestra frente

LIKE YOU


Why do the have to
Look so much like you do

They smile like you
Forcing the opening
Of their lips

Clenching their teeth
Looking fierce
Pretty & brave
Scientifically savvy

Their pets hate me
But they’re are not
As beautiful as you

A myriad of twin sisters
So similar but so different

DILE QUE LA QUIERES


The song says:
Dile que la quieres!
But she has a surgical mask on
And a conspicuous daughter
That follows her around

The song screams:
Dile que la quieres!
But when I asked for
A second opinion
It sounded like a pharmacy

Dile que las quieres!
And I venture to think
It is not medicine
That changes her face
But the music of the world

The speakers cry:
Dile que la quieres!
And I placed
A copy of Don Quixote
Back on the shelf

Dile que la quieres!
And I hurry out of
That section
Looking for vegetables

Dile que la quieres!
And I find the masked woman
Beside me picking produce
Her pupils like
Sharpened seeds

Dile que la quieres!
And I think about that phrase
About those words
I think about a mask
Kissing another mask

Dile que la quieres!
The difficulty
Is to discern
And order of Man
From a command
Of the heart

EVENING LOOP


I drove up
And saw the horse
Walking down the hill

A tire tied
To its tail

Scraping the gravel
And the dirt

Getting closer
To the water

MORNING


Hello Juan
Hello, how are you?
Fine, do you slept here?
Yes, right where you are

I even had a dream
I dreamt of a better time
I dreamt of the past
When it was less complicated

When my worries had to do
With exuberant issues

Like impressing girls
Or impressing my peers
Or becoming a millionaire
By playing the lottery

BREAKFAST


I have the most special tía
She cooks breakfast with the same
Flavor that grandma used to
Home made tortillas
Enchanting red salsa
Black coffee
And the potatoes
The potatoes are delicious

No salt needed
When food has the right touch
There’s no need for salt
Why cover flavor
If it is such a beautiful experience

Every ingredient visiting
My tastes buds
Was like a Jimmy Hendrix song

The family’s secret recipes
Are in the seasonings
That grow on the gardens
On the hearts & minds
Of loved ones

I once asked grandma
About her knowledge
She was an expert on
Herbs & plants

She spoke some words
On healing flowers
Then she gave me
An odd look
Then she smiled
And did not say anymore

THE JUDGE


The judge brought
Some carne asada
And a bottle
Of red wine
She said:
The carne asada
Is for your mother
And I will share
The wine
With you

BACKGROUND: AISLES & BOOKS


You
Beautiful you

I can not
And I will not
Forget you

Sitting gracefully
On the sofá
Like a heavenly apparition

Your eyes
Beaming with the
Delineations of love

I know
Who you are
I can tell you apart
I love you too

Your glance
Speaks the most
Attractive language

You
Sitting there
Looking strait
To the eye

Your gaze modified
With the effects
Of desire

BY THE SEA


I gave her a goodbye hug
And she began to massage me
She got my attention
Just like she always does

With her repetitive motions
Of knowledge
Her seasoned hands
Of experience

I thought about
Her mother’s suspicious eyes

I thought about giggling children
I thought about her advice
Against to much salt

And I looked
At the water
To see if I could
Spot any fish

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR


He called me an invader
I considered the romantic notions
Of such claims

I told him a judge should determine
Such a thing

He said he doesn’t like
Courts & judges
But I think they’re okay

He asked for money
But I don’t have any
And its not my custom
To give money to those
Obsessed with my family

A type that likes
To take matters
Into his own hands
Willing to take chances
Like so many before him

The invader from the north
It almost sounds like
A Norteño Band

A dispute
With an eastern neighbor
It hardy sounds
Like something new

This is
Just the cost
Of living

UNDER THE TABLE


She was the friend
Of my friend
Both were beautiful
I often wondered
Why I ended up
With beautiful friends

And she grabbed me
Under the table
And I looked at her
I was surprised
And she just smiled

I looked at my other friend
And she looked
More gorgeous than ever

The bar was smoky
And we were kids
Almost children
So many of us
We were happy
Back then

Fast-forward about 10 years
Into the future
And it happened again
This time by a pro
She was a professional dancer

She had a firm grip on me
And she began to question me
“What are you?”
She asked
I had to think fast
And all I could utter was:

“Apache”

My coworker
Almost laughed
As he drank his beer
And later that evening
He did laughed out loud
As he recounted the episode

“At least she let me go
Without hurting me”
I said

We were less happy then
But oddly enough
We laughed more

PETITIONS


You know I can get
Everything I ask for
You know this right?

I think so…

Do you want me
To ask for her

What?

Yes,
Do you want me
To ask for her
You know
For you

Ahmmm,
I think we
Better wait
Lets wait
A little bit longer

"La fe es clandestina porque no se puede ver... la magia es la ilusión que todos ven..."


DAMAGES


They always hurt
Some are entitled
Some are not
Sometimes deserved
Like random effects

Damages brake
And make new
When there’s
Good disposition

When things are bad
Damages just brake
Things or people
Into a million pieces
Each one
With its respective tear

The wonderful trees
You see on
The cemeteries
Of the world
Are irrigated
By such tears

The death
Providing salty water
Giving birth
To the filters
Of the planet

Damages
Have made of
Plastic Surgeons
A household name

Damages
Are a natural
As a lady
Who ages gracefully

I LOVE THE WORLD


I love the world
Even though lies live
Underneath its surface

I care for the world
And when the lies were
Too much to bear
I began to walk alone

Seeing the world
All around me
With its vegetation
Its aridness
Its violence
And its charm

I found the invisible
Path of truth
On the narrow ways
And the cracks
Of forgotten streets

I love the world
And want to share it
With an honest apparition

A trustworthy vision
An authentic nightingale
A trustworthy moon

A reliable fire
Warm enough
To create the most
Fascinating events

Like lovers
Kissing in the water
Or walking down
The corridors of life

VEGETARIAN


I proceeded towards the sink
When she asked me if
I didn’t care for anymore

I looked at her and she was
Glowing more than ever

I told her that it would be fine
As long as there was enough
For everybody

She smiled and said there
Was more than enough

She looked
Pretty & happy
And the kitchen comes alive
When she’s near the stove

If she was single
I would probably asked her out
Her husband must be
The luckiest man alive

I sat on the chair
Placed the plate on the table
Contemplated the food
Before me
Baptized with red salsa
And it looked
More beautiful
Than ever

ANGELS & FLOWERS

The neighbors seem to be cleaning

they seem to be cleaner

this is just

a mirage of fatigue

They don't curse

at the swine anymore

now they speak to them

with metaphors

with poetry

with the language

of angels & flowers

and it looks like

they are trying to

pick up the garbage

In the north

they placed the dog in a cage

and I put the cage in my car

and drove south

till we crossed the border

and I glanced at the dog

as I drove and I

looked at it

and it like a good sport

and I considered keeping it

to for myself

But the true magicians

are the money changers

they make 2 hundred

of my pesos disappear

in front of my eyes

I wish they would

work their magic doing

the exact opposite

Nonetheless I pushed

my shopping cart

through the isles of commerce

and one customer spoke

into his cellphone:

“It looks like nothing

happened to him

he must have made

a deal with the devil

or something because

he looks healthy & complete”

And I remembered

the ascetics that claimed

to know how to trick the devil

and I remembered their words

and how it really made sense

back then

but I also knew

the axiom

easier said than done

is usually right

and know I know

those holy fools

were right

UTILITY WORKERS


The electric company
Understands the poor
That survive day to day
And night by night

Perhaps because
There’s lots
Of poor people
In Mexico

When the lines
Were broken
By the motor grader
They came and fixed them
They advised
To use more caution

If you see the machine coming
This way again
Talk to its operator
Or disconnect the cables
To avoid further damage
Because it belongs
To everybody

The neighbors
Looked at each-other
And they seemed content

MUSICAL LIFE SAVERS


The song
“One love”
Saved my life
Many years ago
Last night
It was
“Road house blues”
Sung by Jim Morrison
That kept me
From being hit

THE SALT OF THE EARTH



Anne Sexton
Wrote something
About death

Saying more or less
That it
Tastes terrible
Like salt

Salt is not bad
It has a full flavor
It makes food eatable
Even if the food
Doesn’t look good
Or tastes good

Salt makes it all better
Next time you see
A dish
That your afraid
To eat
Add a little bit
Of salt
And take a bite

HIJOS DE LUZ

Los niños dicen
Los días pasan volando
Sin helicópteros

NORTHERN OXEN


The priest sang like a mariachi
Played the guitar like one too
He travels by bus and
His weeding ring is a scar

At first
He had me fooled
When he kept silent
And just stood there
I thought him to be a monk

Even as he gently spoke
I had no suspicions
But when we finished
Eating dinner
He grabbed the guitar
And began to sing
On the corner of dining hall
Where the caged birds are
Where the parrot keeps shouting

Cabron!
Cabron!
Cabron!

By this the children now
The parrot is asking for a tortilla
And when they feed it
It stops screaming
And we have precious silence
And the priest stood there
Next to the green parrot
And sang something about
Tequila & forgetfulness

When he finished singing
I applauded
I think I even said “Bravo”
Asked for a blessing
And drove into the night

POTENTIAL


The girl with the black boots
Orders a bagel
With ranch salad dressing

Her boots
Are black and shinny
She’s leathered up almost
All the way up to her knees

When she crosses her legs
She looks like a dominatrix
She smokes tinny cigarettes
And the smoke
Caresses her dark
Turtle neck

I get up from the sofa
And walk to bathroom
I leave my poem
On the table

And while I watch
My urine making ripples
And listen to the stream of liquid
Hitting the toilet water
I wonder if she’s reading
What I am writing
About her

When I come out of the bathroom
There is old woman waiting by the door
She looks at me
I look at her and walk
Back to my sofa

And I suspect the boot lady
Must of read part of my poem
Because now she has
A nervous smile on her face
When she looks my way

I like how she bites
That bagel
Her jaws are decisive
She tells her friend she hungry

She even manages
To smile as she chews
And she bites again

She must have a strong metabolism
Because she’s skinny
With long legs
An impressive stance
And hungry
Very hungry

DAY SONG

The children singing
Many treasures we posses
Among them your eyes

DARK WATER



The old woman walks in
She looks at me
And says she’s sorry

Then she proceeds
To the cashier and
Asks for money
She needs it
For cancer treatment

She walked out
Walked away
And I could taste
Her sadness
In my cup of coffee

I see this
On top of the islands
On the entrance
On the hill
On the inside
Of the doors
There’s she is
Pregnant & beautiful
With a pen sticking out
Like an antenna
From her head

I found you Monika
With the correct
Equations written
On your eyes

And you Marcos
You look
Like a prime candidate
To sing inside a 4x4
Humming the melodies
I think you may have the rhythm

I walk outside the supermarket
And the fellow under
The red truck say
This is leaking water

BLACK & BLUE


Blue scarf & blue shoes
Black pants, blouse & sun glasses
Touch a corona

LAST DAY


Girls from the red cross
Add seasonings to their food
Offshore wind with us

EXTERNAL BENCH


She explains
The dark side of the moon
To her children
In excellent Spanish

She explains eclipses
And the boys look up
Into the night
And I do the same

She explains change
In temperature
Astronomical whims
And their consequences

For a moment
I think of telling them
The mystery of
The sleeping rabbit
But this would be better
On a full moon

I decide to watch them
To listen to them
From a distance

As I wait
For my turn
For whatever happens
For the night to go on
For me to go home
And go to bed

MUSIC STOP


They did not flash their
Blue and red lights at me
They just honked
With that awkward sound
That rescue vehicles made

I stopped on the side
Of the road
And they asked me
If I worked at the
Plaza del Zapato

I thought that
Was funny but I answered no
And then they asked
If I played with the band
THE CATS IN THE ROOF
And I thought that was even funnier

And I told them that I did not
But that I was a musician
And they said I look
Like a musician

And then one of the cops said
That he liked to jam
I asked if he played guitar
And he said that he sings
And he began to sing
First a song that
I did not recognized
And then one from
The Black Crows
And he stood there
Singing in the night

SALES


“Hey sunshine!”

I looked around
To find the source
Of that voice

Those feminine
Vocal chords
That uttered
Those words

I greeted her
She was young
Blond & pretty

I have never
Seen this one before

Then she tried
To sell me
A spa package

She said
That she could
Even give me
A massage

I thank her
And she gave me
Her business card

I knew she
Would not buy
A microwave radio

She was selling me
A microwave service

4 AM


Again
The singing bird
This morning competes
With the Wall Street Journal
Radio show

They play an excerpt
Of a song that says:

“I need you”
“I need you”

They played it twice
And I understand why
It is because
The like winning

But the bird sings
Longer & better
And it’s definitely
A natural

I walk outside
To congratulate
The winner
But it flies away

So I enter the kitchen
And drink some water
Then go back to sleep
But it starts singing again

I go outside
It flies away
I go back inside
And read out loud
Then I go to bed

WIRE FENCE


A bunch of birds
Have descended on my homestead
Perhaps it was the night cry
Of my visitor
That consistent
Nocturnal song

And now all these different birds
From different families
Are gathered

And I have to endure
That song
That sound

And it sometimes
Wakes me up
Last time
It was competing
With classical music

And I guess
It is all worth it
To get to see them
And hear them

They help me think
I live in the
Garden of Eden

MORNING

I rest on my bed
Humming bird on the window
Remembering you

different might be better


took care
of some dirty laundry
and drove
down the hill
to get some coffee

said hello
to a friend
and met a new one

from my table
i could see
the guy from
channel 12

he was paying
for some food
at the cash registered

he looks different
in person

perhaps he
should no be
so much in tv

puzzle


you came at midday
complementing my black boots
not enough for you

BE ALWAYS ON TIME & NEVER BE LATE


Sounds like
Sound advice to me

Sounds like
The music of success

Sounds like
A sound machine

Sound pretty & sexy
Sounds like it should

I rather think of it this way
Otherwise the sound will remain
Regardless of anything & everything
You say or do

The sound of morality
The sound of correction
The sound of work
The sound of what is right

Punctuality

And we beat the
Herd of deer
To the top of the mountain

It was still dark
When I was offered coffee
And I drank it
With the cold dawn

It was still dark
As I checked my rifle
And handled my knife
Very carefully

It was still dark
As we climbed
The rough terrain
And I fell in love
With the boulders

It was still dark
As I thought
Of yesterday
Of how I pulled the trigger
And how I missed

It was still dark
But we weren’t late
Because we spotted them

We saw them climbing
Straight towards us
Towards our intentions
Towards our stomachs
Towards our desires
Towards our wagers
Towards our rifles

But it was not dark anymore
Because I could see them
Through my cross hairs
And if I moved them
A little to the right
Or a little to the left
I would see new images
On my scope
They stood there
Frozen like brand new cars

And then…
The sound
Yes that sound
That accompanies the flash
And the push
That playful push
Similar to that
Of an annoyed lover

And the mountain
Became a disco
Because everybody was dancing
And even though we
Could no see them
There were others among us
Making music
With their music machines

And I stood there
On top of the wilderness
And I thought the gun
On my hands
Must be a guitar
Because my knees
Were shaking

ONE OF THE REGULARS


King of simplicity
Resting on
A 3 branch

Fire Crest
Sucking honey
From the
Dangling flowers

Masked like
A vegetarian pistolero
Professional eater
Moves like a fall guy

You are always
Welcome here
You can stay
As long as you wish

WAITING

I look
I look real good
I like what I see
And when her eyes move
I move mine

Away…..

I don’t stare
I don’t want to tare
I do care

How your beauty travels
This short distance
Between us

You & me

So I look away
Try to focus my eyes
In nothing in particular
Just and excuse
To avoid your glance

A pretext
Not to follow
The miraculous light
Of your semblance

A reason
Not to be wounded
By your splendor

I look back and
Its too late
Your delightful face
Next to my chest
Too close
To my heart

THE CABIN


The bird’s crying
On the night
Once again

Its song now competes
With an infomercial
Where one of the actresses
Has your name & looks like you

The bird cries in the middle of the night
And I don’t dare turn off
The portable black & white TV

The dinner has been a lifesaver
And its aftertaste lingers
In my mouth
In a dry kind of way

I get up from bed and I still
Can feel my soar ribcage
I walk towards
The refrigerator to have
A cold drink

It tastes like heaven….

I get in bed again
And there’s yet another infomercial
About middle-aged women
Crazy about soy

I turn off the TV
And turn on the radio
I try to get comfortable
And listen to music

My winged friend
Singing through the night
And its songs are your kisses
Landing on my right side

EZ MIGRA


You look familiar
He said

I was going to tell you the same thing
I replied

Do you get sent to secondary often?
He pressed

Sometimes….
I interjected

Where are you going?
He asked

To where the view is beautiful
I answered

Where?
He insisted

Chula Vista
I explained

He looked
At his computer screen
And hit the keyboard
As his face turned stoical

THE MESSAGE

He said the love of God
Is like the sun
Like the light
That comes forth
From the sun

That’s how we grow he said
And as he was speaking
I thought of my friend
Who each morning
Looks up towards the heavens
Closes his eyes
And charges himself up

He said this is
Something we need to do
To take away obstructions
Hindrances like garbage
Including blankets

The way he spoke
So familiar
So poetic
He must be Russian

COFFEE TRIP

She asked if I wanted my coffee mug rinsed
I hesitantly said yes and she ordered her employee
To do just that

Then she said that her husband
Doesn’t like to rinse his because
He likes to capture the flavor
I smiled and told her that I understood

She asked if I like coffee very much
And I just smiled & waited for my coffee
She pressed with another question and
Asked if I am a coffee connoisseur

I noticed how she was holding her baby
She still had that glowing look
That pregnant women have
And I considered how beautiful
She must have been before her pregnancy
And how her current beauty has improved
Into something so powerful

I like caffeine
I answered affably and
I wondered if her husband
Was the nervous looking
Fellow that was snooping
On me the day before as I tried
To write some work
On their second floor

I did not loose track
Of the smiley customer with
Fine facial features
Who stood next to me
Working with her paper cup
Looking ready to go

I thank the barista & the owner’s wife
And they answered in unison
And it sounded beautiful
Like church choir

I walked outside and spotted
Fine facial features getting in
A red car and driving away

I got in my car
And turned the engine on
Towards my left
A young Chinese girl
Walked on the sidewalk
Playing with her hair

THE THINGS ONE HAS TO ENDURE

I slept & it was cold
I instantly pulled a blanket
For cover

But it was not the same
It disturbed my sleep
It was not right because

I dreamt that a crazy woman
Broke into the house
Took my favorite sweater
And left some currency
On the table

I got up
And looked for my garment
And did not find it
I walked towards the table and
Grabbed the bill

I looked at it
And thought about all the money
In the world
Then I thought on my green sweater

I envisioned
A mad witch
Wearing it
Sleeping with it
Touching the fabric
And doing other things
With it

Sometimes people do
Strange things while under hypnosis
Confused in good weather

ENTRANCE

Above the entrance
There is a saint
On a white horse
Killing a dragon

The server captain
Speaks Spanish
And he’s my friend

He knows all words
Good and bad
He likes to smile & he likes
To play as if
He is the cathedral

We like it here
We can play with our friends
The guy dressed in black
Is funny
We liked him too

I like the lion
I like the oxen
That guard the
Front pillars
Of the building

I like your 4 legged friends
For watching my back
As I approach the
Universal medicines

All these people
Speaking different languages
And eating at the same tables
Communicating with
Gestures and hand movements
I like that too

FOOD

We entered the commercial box
And stopped and the special corner
My associate was not convinced
But I did not cared that much
Because I was holing a cup of coffee
And I was happy

I concentrated on
The Chinese televisions
And examined them to see
If they were enhanced digitally

I could not find out
Because an extremely attractive
Human being entered
My field of vision

I gave the signal
And we moved towards
A comestibles area

We struggled to find lentils
I gave up and concentrated
On a feminists-style article
About drunk writers
That decorated the magazine rack

As I read a quote by Hemmingway
Which stated something like:
“I drink to tolerate the company of fools”

The most attractive
human being in the store
Was informing my brother
Were the find the lentils
And how to cook them

I lifted my eyes from
The rag I was speed-reading
To find a pretty woman
With an anchor embroidered
On her jacket
Chest level right side
Smiling at me

I told the boy who
Bagged our groceries
To have his eye-infection
Taken care of
The cashier pointed
Towards the pharmacy
And I looked at the medicine

We walked towards the car
And I was told we did not
Have the right spices
So we visited the local chain store

And there we did not find
Chinese televisions
But we did see Chinese
Girls walking the isles

They looked at me funny
As I read something
About exorcisms
Next to magazine rack

A Spanish song played
In the store’s PA
And I noticed two cashiers
Singing the words
One was dancing
To the rhythm

I approach the dancing cashier
And asked her if she could
Tell me what was the last part
Of the chorus she was singing

She said it was something like
“Put your lips all over me”
But that she was not sure
Then she smiled

I asked the other cashier
And she said the same thing
And she also smiled

We paid and my friend
Did not wait for the change
But hurried out of there
I thank them
Took the change
Said goodbye & left

EJEMPLO

Igual que la luz
Las palabras extrañas
Penetran hondo

LA SEÑORA

Te ves más guapo
¡Que cosas dice usted!
Es tu edad hombre