WATER


Are you going to write about rain?
A question like any other -I thought

I decided to write about rain
But the idea of water
Is the same
As the beginning

And the rain
Brings down water
Like the substance
That surrounds
The roundness of the world

Water is my love
Water is my life
Water is my death
My way to God

Water is your mouth
Water is your lips
Water is your love
That's what I thought

MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE


The current of words
Clashes with the songs
Of morning mass

I put the book down
Alongside the other papers

They look so good together
As if they were going
To get married

The song of the bird
Can be transmitted
Through the wire
Where he stands

Through the grid of the world
Transportation of sound
Musical knowledge

With a feeling
That can only be imported
Through your eyes

CLEANING


“He used to live
And played guitar
In a shed
10 years playing the same songs”

Maybe in the same place

I remembered his statement
As I moved
Dusty boxes

Looked at unopened
Bank statements

Studied the twisted wires
Of old cell phones

“6 months later
He was a millionaire”

I remembered his words
As I threw the bank correspondence
Into the garbage

He didn’t say
He blew his brains out
With a shotgun
But both of us knew it

I thought of that
When I saw my old canteen
On the dusty floor

I put the waste
In the green garbage can
Then I went inside
To eat some bread

IT’S JUST LIFE


Life is the danger of music
The headache of dissonant chords
The unnoticed torture of the eye

The rapid transaction of your response
The contemplation of your demise
The pondering of your laughter
The echo of my smile

My teeth sinking on the food between my lips

Life is the pursuit of a mirage
The deciphering of need
The seduction of necessity

Life is
Your nervous presence on my counter
Your mischievous grin
Your hand reaching for a business card

You walking out the door
Me looking at your back

Life is being nice to your enemies before they die
Shaking hands
Shaking extremities at the same time

Sobbing when they cross the Rubicon
Taking a deep breath and marching onward

Life is being homeless and in darkness
Fed and in opulence
Talking and being kind to complete strangers

While reading their thoughts and intentions
While pretending not to notice
They are far-far-far away

PERSECUTOR


I am a persecutor
A persecutor in stride
fast forwarding
Your disappearing ambushes

I am a persecutor
Your wrath
I can convert
In energy

I am persecutor
Of nightmares
Of your dreams
And wishes

I am persecutor
Of whatever I want to persecute
I like precutting nothing at all
That’s what I like best!

I am persecutor
Of stories
Of love poems
Of life
Of happiness

I am persecutor of this
I am a persecutor of that
I am persecutor of you
Even if you think
You don’t exist

cáncer

cáncer
me caes de a madres

cáncer
te tengo identificado
en el cuerpo humano
igual en los senos
que en la próstata
en los pulmones
que en la garganta
y en la lengua
y en los labios

cáncer
cangrejo glotón
cómete ésta
me refiero a la muerte cáncer
cómetela

cáncer
húndete en la arena
que te lleve el mar
húndete junto al drenaje y el llanto

cáncer
codiciosa tenaza
rómpete contra
las rocas de la playa

y cáncer
del azar deseo salado
de marte visita clandestina
de penas arma que multiplica

cáncer
vete mucho a la chingada
vete muy lejos allá
donde no hagas daño

cáncer
bicho raro
travieso malvado
déjanos en paz

y cáncer
también sé
pedir por las buenas
pero no lo haré

cáncer
vete o te envenenaré
veneno en mis tejidos
cáncer

TASTE


The light of your beauty
Shines like
A million suns

Your eyes
Contain unrestrained water
Oceans of desire
Glance of medicine

Stillness of the morning
Snow melting

Your dancing fingers
On my skin

My heart a time bomb
Your love tastes
Like an olive tree

NATURE… MACHINE… MAN


He said
It is time to give her a bath
Don’t you think?

And I told him:
This month is
An uphill month

What do you mean?
He asked

I mean
Do you give credit?

He laughed
And I laughed
I walked toward
The sand

The water
Reminded me
Of my last trip
And deep inside
I felt a little pride

I walked
And noticed
I was out of shape
But not out of desire

I wanted more than ever
To live
To walk
To love
To breathe

The diesel fumes
Were fanned
By the Pacific

There were craters
On the sand
And otherworldly fellows
Operated what looked
Like transformers

No glitter
Since the sun
Illuminated the dullness
Of the machines

THE BLESSING OF THE WATERS


The spirit of intelligence
Sings the mystic

And I feel like
Saying: amen
Or something of the sort

The spirit of intelligence
Moves upon the waters

It also lives
In the fire
On the stillness
Of the candles

I can drink this water
It doesn’t burn you
Like firewater does
When it travels
Through you esophagus

It gives you health
To slay dragons
It hydrates you
With the spirit of intelligence

ANSWERS


The metal snake moved
Slowly and then fast
On a sunny winter afternoon

We talked about dreams
As we contemplated
Airplanes painting the sky

The mental snake
Cut into pieces
On the floor
Inside the old shed

On the other side
There was more answers
Than questions

PRUDENCE


The best gift
Is not knowing the future

That way
You can hit
Everything with prudence
When suffering
Becomes a sport

You can fulfill
Your part as
A converter of realities

Taking pride
In your work
Even though it hurts
Even though it’s broken

SHORTS & SANDALS


I woke up
And it felt like summer
Except my throat was closing
Like when I kissed
The plant that looked
Like a lady

The wind
And the sun
Played together
Like bewitched mice

I was told to close the window
Because the dust
Could puncture
Your lungs

I pushed to button
And watched the glass
Rise with the scenery

The water
Was a mirror once again
And even though
I was hungry
I was also happy

I MEANT GOOD


What you told me was true
You were not joking
Even though you laughed a lot
Forgive me for not believing

I meant good
I always meant good

When we would listen
To the band play
When we ate dinner
As you taught me
Of the likings
Of the people

I meant good

When you would ask me
To choose the seat
To enter a room
The check for
Anything unusual

I meant good

When you would talk
About magic
Trying to make me believe
In what you believe
So adamantly

I meant good

When you refuse
To sell the Italian pistol
When I felt
Like I was loosing
My patience

I meant good

When you were
Able to get into
Other people’s minds
In other places too

I meant good…

When I find out you died
I thought of you
And how you meant good

VISIT


I called my friend’s name
Once or twice
He came out the front door
Opened the metal gate and said:
Come in

I walked in and sat at the table
We talked about
Cars and trucks and
Better times

He offered me coffee
And I accepted
He put his son
In charge of the coffee maker

His son is good kid
I wanted to teach him
How to play guitar
But he suffers from arthritis
On his fingers

We talk some more
About the 90’s
How things are not the same
They are never the same

I remembered the time
When the strange truck parked outside
My friend walked to his room
And came back with a revolver on his hand
Sat at table and continued the conversation
Keeping a focused eye on the window

We talked about radios
And he made
And international call
On his cell phone

The voice at the other end
Sounded sleepy
You woke him up
I said
No I did not
He said
That’s the way he talks
He added

You should do it!
The voice on the phone said
This is a good opportunity

CRUISING


For D.A.


I let the ambulance go first
Then I followed

Near the ocean I saw my friend
Holding hands with a guy
She looked in love

I kept driving
We were listening to norteño music
And once in awhile
We would sing together
And laugh a little

Stopped at the tire shop
And the poor lad
Wanted to sell me everything
As if we were still living in the 90’s
I said no thanks
And drove away

I thought to myself:
Even if it was like before
I would have walked away anyway

It was more important
To have lunch

My son ordered a hot dog
I ordered a slice of pizza

We shared a soda
I let him pick the soft drink
And he chose a coke

I ate my cheese and pepperoni
With mushrooms and black olives

He ate his mustard and ketchup
With relish and white bread

He managed to get
The condiments
On his clothes

I handed him some napkins
And as he wiped the mustard
Off his clothes
Someone that looks like you
Walked by us

TRUCHA CON EL CABLE HOMIE



Trucha con el cable homie
The voice said in the dark
The stench of burnt plastic
Traveling through
His rotten teeth

Trucha con el cable homie
The voice lingering
In the night
Incense of theft

Trucha con el cable homie
And to think he better
Get trucha with his ass
Before it get full of lead
Or something else

Trucha con el cable homie
Because the dogs will bark
When the horses arrive
And all of them
Will end up tied up

Trucha con el cable homie
Sunday morning is a special time
Sunday morning is my favorite time
Sunday morning near the ocean
Because is better than last night
Listening to the speaking fish
Repeating the words:
Trucha con el cable homie

REMOTE CONTROL


A remote control of life
A dusty control with
The sound of music
With the appearance modernity
Malnutrition of circumstance

A control to walk slowly
A control to walk faster
Control of the future
Control of the past

A remote dream
Remotely surviving
Remotely controlling desires
A remote appeal from across the oceans
Walking on water like God

THE SOUND OF COLD


It was so cold that I decided not to make coffee
And went back to bed after urinating on the toilet

First listening
Then watching
The ripples on the water
Feeling like Basho
In the morning:

Watching the toilet
Urine lands inside of it
The sound of the morning cold

Running back to bed
Diving under the covers
Ah the covers!

Good covers are essential
Good cover are good
Good covers are medicinal
Good covers are psychological
Good covers are wonderful

Writing love poems
Inside the sleeping bag
Making my own tepee
Imagining you are with me
Your nose rubbing against my nose
Your body rubbing against my body
Making this winter a better place

And then sleeping till I can not breathe
Waking up and stretching
And thinking:

Is this how my baby does yoga?

I hear my bones crack
My sinuses are cleared up
I can breathe again
So I sleep some more

And just before falling asleep
I remember the chiropractor
Who was scared shitless
As he tried to scared me
With a fake gun
And I wondered if he knew
I had a loaded 45

And he cracked my bones
But he broke a sweat
And he told me:
When your bones are aligned
You’ll breathe better

Fast-forward many years into future
And I am here
On my bed
And since it is cold
And it is almost Christmas Eve
I sleep some more

LIKE WHEN YOU ARE DREAMING

To Penélope Cruz.


Friendship is knowing what to do
Like when you are dreaming
With Penelope Cruz
And she’s asking you for money
At a liquor store
Because you guys were partying
And went across the street
To buy more drinks

And you know
You don’t have any money
And you say to her

“Penelope, I was going to ask you the same thing!”

But she just looks at you strangely
And pretends not to notice
What you have just said
And goes on as if nothing has happened
And that’s exactly what happened: nothing

That’s why
She buys a pack of cigarettes
And you guys continue partying

First at the house
That looks something like the
House you used to live in

Then you walk
Bar hopping
Together in the city
Through the night
And even though this is not your favorite thing to do
Because you rather be at home reading or writing
And perhaps not even her favorite thing to do
Since she probably rather be making movies
Or sleeping 11 hours a day

You continue together
Smiling at strange people
And walking into strange places
And both of you know
That this sort of thing
Is better done like this
Than alone

The problem with dreams is
How to resolve complicated situations
Without ruining the dream
For example the dream with Penelope Cruz
Went fairly good
It was to an extent
Very smooth
But when you dream

That you are arriving at your friends pad
And you are sleeping on his couch
But you found Robin Williams
Sitting where you sleep
You have a dilemma

How to continue with your mission
Which is to sleep
Without disturbing your friend’s guest
Without ruining your dream

So you go out with your friend
And his friends (Robin Williams) of who you are a fan
And you go with them
To have dinner at your host’s restaurant
And there’s a fight
But this time there’s no bullets
Flying across the tables
But food
Food all over the place
On the patrons faces
On the floor
On the chairs
On the windows
On the patron’s clothing

And you walk away from
That wasteful place
And you noticed that this
Was also a successful dream
Because you friend is not upset with you
Robin Williams thinks your pleasant fellow to be around
And you know you are going back
To waiting and comfortable sofa

THE CONTINUATIONS OF SITUATIONS



History gone astray
Fury over continuation of situations

The Taramhauras keep dragging their feet
Confounding the local intellectuals
And casting their spells on the French

They make them
Lose their way
With nature
On nature

That is the cost of the natural
The fee of organics
The high payment
For services rendered

The economy of wastefulness
Accumulation of power through dissipation

The Chiefs burning cows
Throwing gold away
Losing items
And gaining prestige

World class American Chiefs
With their arrows
And their portions of reason

The continuations of situations
Are born at random
And not at random
It produces
Esthetical effects
And political sensations

International situations
A labyrinth were access
Is denied to the automobile

They have taken down
The traffic signs
So those that follow
Will get lost
Where the streets have no name

The failure of obsolete cities
The cities of sleep
The cities of dreams

But we live on islands of experience
With remote controls of love
Because the organization of passion
Is power

GARDENS


The scenario
Is a garden in the valley
That’s what
The Muslims call it

English gardens
Are preserved like
Nature intended them to be

But they are kept
Clean and trim

The grammar of noise
In the garden

The whisper of the world
Appears just before
Falling asleep

MAKING TIME


I am not like that
Said the security guard
Like what? I thought to myself
The guard continued

I always have behaved myself
You can’t work that hard
Just to waste it all away
He looked at me
Speaking and trying to make sure
I would understand his reasons
Hoping that I would say something
I could tell he wanted me to say something
And I did not know what to say
But when it sounded like he was choking
I said: I understand
He relaxed a little and continued with his monologue

And I thought to myself
How much I wanted to be out of there
How much I wanted to tell him: enough!
Don’t give me explanations
I am not asking you to do this
You don’t have to do anything
You don’t want to do

But then I thought on how
I was there and did not wanted
To be there but it was the best
For the moment

I asked if he had
A list of phone numbers
For the different departments?

He looked at me and said
I am usually not assigned here
Then he grabbed a piece of paper
And scrolled down on it
Using his index finger

CRACKED WINDSHIELD



I have found something that I was not looking for
It was in the middle of the road
It was time broken in half

It was my present
And my past and everything else
That does exist
That is not what it is

It’s just that sometimes
I get thirsty or hungry
When I’m driving the world
When I’m looking ahead
Way into the things
That don’t quite exist yet

Like flowers that scare police officers
Like the words of Methodist ministers
Advising me to keep my eyes open
When dealing with frightened folks
And when practicing the art of prayer

Open your eyes
Because God is everywhere!

That’s what I thought
As he spoke to me
Clad in his black suit
He looked so cool
Like the men in black do

This man
With the perfect wife
And his intelligent son
Speaking to me
About his trade

It seemed to me
That he knew what he
Was talking about
Perhaps he knew
His words would save my life
On the highway

OWL


I could hear you last night
I could hear you today
You are back

Last time you scared the neighbors
They thought you were
The spirit of their dead child
You are back

Hooting in the night
Who who who!
In the dark rain

You are back
Who who who!
At midday

Scaring different people this time
Eating their chicks
Making their varmint disappear

Who who who!

Welcome back my friend
Make you creepy sounds
As I write my creepy odes

Who who who!

Scare the shit out of them
Who who who!
I will tell you who
Because I like you better than the crow

Who who who!
But I shot the crow
Who who who!
And it felt alright

Who who who!
Eat them rats
Who who who!
Please hang around
Who who who!
You know who
As well as I do

RAIN


Water comes down off and on
Hitting the roofs
Of your mind

Drops introduce themselves
Through the cracks
Dripping inside
The memories of your sight

Millions of drops land
On the fields
Of the world

Touching ground
Like inspired paratroopers
Like the wind knocking out borders
Like broken fences in the heart

PRESCRIPTION


Taste the bitterness of your deceit
Drink water
Avoid sugar

It will give you a stomach ache
But that’s what happens
When you don’t know how to spit
How to vomit the poison
That your insides are producing

The acid
You store in your organs
Is destroying your teeth

You haven’t received
The first blow
And you are broken already

Drink milk chocolate
Laughed & smile
Like children do
It will make you
Live longer
Live better
Live stronger

TELEPROMPT


Water is my teleprompt
The sound of many days
Passing by

The sound of many dogs
Approaching to bite me

The wait lines
Inside government buildings

The sound of the stapler
The sound of the gun
The moon & the stars

The distance between us
My aching joints
My aching soul

A dance that took place 20 years ago
The visions
Of my last dance

Listening to an orator
A speaker of the house
The vendors
The buyers of lies

The song on the radio
Yes… that song
About love & hate
War & peace

SLEEP ALWAYS RETURNS



The fence was folded
By the wind

It warped
It twisted

Like a used trampoline

It broke
It failed

Tomorrow will happen again
Because 8 is today
That’s what the TV is saying

This is something I do
When I feel sleepy
It sounds like music
Like singing in tune
It sounds like a soothing song

I did not say you should write it
I just made the sound
And then
You asked the questions

What?
Father…
What?
Oh father!

I never said I would do anything
What?
What?
What are you talking about dad?

Please stop writing everything I say
No way
I don’t like it dad

Sleep always conquers
Sleep always wins
Sleep never fails
Sleep always returns when you’re experienced

BANK OF AMERICA


Open a business account
We can change everything
If you use your ATM card
Once a month,
We will reverse the fees.
Do you want to open an account?

Well, since you put it that way,
It would be hard to say no.

Wha kind of work do you do Juan?

I am writer.

She gently, but rapidly typed on her keyboard,
Her fingertips were softly touching the plastic squares.

For a moment, I thought that if she wanted to see some proof
Of my vocation, I could show her my pen.

So, what kind of writing do you do?
Do you write, like books, and that sort of thing?

I saw myself, sitting in front of this banker, doing this
Business transaction, and I thought you had to be a bestseller
To be sitting here, a best seller with a lot money, or someone
Like Stephen King, or someone like a millionaire.

I sat there thinking I am not Stephen King
That I am not a millionaire
But I do think Mr. King and I
Have a common denominator
Stephen writes horror stories
And I write horrific poems.

I am freelance writer… I write whatever sells…

She looked at me and smiled
I was not smiling
I was looking at my reflection
On the window
Thinking if this was
An occasion to smile.

CROWD


Life gathers in the eyes
Of those without choice
When eyes are bloated
There’s fullness of life

Human eyes
Grow larger
With happiness
With pain
With love
And hate

Eyes ponder on
The impact
Of an awkward ending
Of an awkward life

STORM


The storm began
Without a single drop of rain
Without a single cloud
On a sunny day

The storm worked
Its effects
On the clearest sky
On the dusty ground

The storm was
Sounds clashing
With sounds
Water beating loose stones

But everything was completely dry
And there were
No incisions caused by erosion

Because victory came running
Riding a triumph
When he began
Praying into his cell phone

FALLING ASLEEP


The train slept
The rails of journey
Grew wings
And lifted up

Like a plane
Like a flock of birds

The passengers
Grew tired
Got sleepy

This account
Enters my ears
In a different language
In the language of music
In the mother tongue

HUNTING PROMISES



Let me help you
Because God has the resource
The means are only kindness

You can not denied the waiting obligation
The accidental corpse doesn’t want
To be lifted up

It is the show
Of the secrets of life

A personal interest of revelations
The rhythm of conscience
Hitting the upholstery of history

We all want to dance
We all can grove to that tune

After all
We are the people

The heart beats
And the beats are the best percussion
The best reclusion
The best resolution

Everything is like a contra of silence
I’ll make you whisper on the net
The wall falling down
The woman calling rosters
The Spanish girl having visions of time

I’ll make you whisper
I’ll make you say
I love you

CRUSH



Crush your food before eating it
Crush it with your hand
Crush it with your fangs

Crush your nourishment before adding fire
Crush it with the help of water
Crush it and then lubricate it

Crush it and it will make oil
Crush it with the energy of your heart

Crush it in the supermarket with your eyes
Crush it as you sample the glance

Crush it before digesting it
Crush it before loving it
Crush it before disposing of it

Crush don’t waste it
Crush it and give it to the wild

Crush it inside a bag of hope
Crush it and make it well
Crush it very well
Crush it for the love of the world

Crush it not before blessing it
Crush it but do it with love
Crush my sight in your arms

Crush and go
Crush and burn
Crush tomorrow
Crush the snow

THIS PLACE



Sleep till it hurts
And then have breakfast
Coffee first

Look at the clear sky
The ocean
The islands
As your molars grind
What needs to be broken

Conversations begin
And stop as soon as they started
And you realized how good it is
To sleep & eat at this place

Coffee in the morning
And wine at night
The mystic told us on the 7th day:

You have everything you need

To drive an old car
Can be amusing
If the highway is cleared of traffic
If the music on the radio reminds you
Of were you need to
Keep your eyes
Keep your hands
And how to gamble
With your soul

GOOD THOUGHTS


On my way back
Through the countryside
And not by the ocean
I was stopped
At a military check point

The soldier in cammo garments
Was eating sunflower seeds
I noticed the bag in its hand
He noticed me noticing
And he didn’t care
Neither did I

He continued eating the seeds
I continued listening to the corridos
On the transceiver
Watching how the couple in front me
Got their yellow mustang searched

Waiting for my turn to be searched
Waiting for my turn to drive
A couple of meters forward
Waiting for my turn to wait some more

Can we searched your car? he asked
Of course I said
What do you do? he asked
I am writer I said
Do you have any weapons? he asked
I said no
What do you have in in the trunk?
Clothes I said
And he said: you can go

I drove home
And then I passed home
Thinking in the importance
Of taking a siesta

PASS



I passed cars & trucks
Soldiers & their guns

I passed dreams & fears
I passed stares and glares

Numbers & letters
I passed them fast

A past life
Inside my old car

I passed free love
I passed business deals
That extended into tomorrow

I passed whatever I wanted to pass
Thinking it would get me
Closer to you

dogs & goats


as we stood outside
thinking poetry
and watching how
the wind picked up
the dust from the ground

the dogs attacked a goat
a goat who strayed from the pack
a goat that entered
through the open gate

they're going to kill it
I told my friend
and she looked concerned
and walk towards them
she went out the gate
and I heard screams

STANDING


The melodies
Are soothing my ears

The voice element
Echoes in the chambers
Of my soul

We like standing here
In timeless pondering

The messages
Filled with centuries
March towards
The encounter of love

Eyes wide open
With the morning’s surprise

The exposure of teeth
Conveys ferocious friendship

God!
How I miss
Tasting your blood

BLOCKED


The large Tahoe
Was blocking my driveway

Such a gas guzzler
Impeding the exit
Of us

I walked outside
And considered that machine
That automobile

I even asked
The young couple
A pair students
If they knew who
The owner is

The guy said
I don’t know
The girl said
You should used
Some pipes
And get it out there
We both smiled

I walk back inside
And open the faucet
Waiting for hot water
To come out
Looking at liquid soap
And used sponges

When the hot water steam
Began to fill the kitchen
The SUV drove away

descanso


es una senda abrupta
una explosión en la vereda
un camino accidentado

cuando la anciana cayó
el piso se hizo rompecabezas
estalló en mil pedazos

hasta allí
puso dios el límite
donde se parte la arena
donde brinca el agua

donde el tiempo
tiene brazos y pies
y los espejos respiran
aman y sienten

GIANT


Seafood is good for the soul
I heard the voice say

Then another voice:
La vida es una apuesta pendiente

She put her hand on her neck
As if she was strangling herself

Or maybe just
Covering a wound

Looking up & down
Towards the sky
Ands towards the ground

And I did the same
But did not noticed
Anything out of the ordinary

The British mothers
Push their babies strollers
A giant walks by

With her two daughters
She’s pleasant to the eye
But she’s giant

STOREFRONT


I grabbed the movie and walk out the door
I thought it was late
And I drove in the night

And it was dangerous because the windows
Where wet with water that refused to disappeared

And I drove slow
Like when you want to make a good impression

I drove slow
Like when you feel tender & romantic
And it’s something more than sex

I drove slow
Because it was simply better to remain alive

I drove slow
Because sometimes you can’t trust your eyes

I drove slow
Like when you want to love the world
And save up some gasoline

I drove slow
Thinking it was not that slow as I took the corner

I drove slow
Remembering the time I wrecked on ice

I drove slow
And parked inside a stripped mall

I walked away form the car noticing the moisture
That must be corroding the lungs of America
And inside I gave money to the clerk
I gave him a green bill
And he gave me 2 blue bills and some coins back

I drove slow
Because I knew it was more dangerous than ever

I drove slow
Because I wanted to buy that soft drink

I drove slow
Because on the other side of the can soda
I found an Old No 7

I drove slow
For you
Because you got out of you car
And looked at me puzzled
In a business suit
And blue nylons
Your gray automobile
Parked next to mine

THE RESPECT OF BEAUTY


I see your photograph
And think of the poems

Those poems that lay
Sleeping in your notebook
In your mind

On in the invention
Of your secrets

I think of the challenge
Those words could ignite
In our fast-forward lives

I lay down
I lay low

Enough of steeping on stones

I go down and look
At your picture
One more time
Before starting
The dream machine

PANTS & SKIRTS


Pants & skirts
Sometimes go together
Like when it is winter
Up north

Pants & skirts
Sometimes give birth
To comments
Like the remarks
From New York

Pants & skirts
Untwined the memory
Making it travel

20 years to the past
20 years to the future
20 melodies to the heart

Pants & skirts
Protection from the wind
And the stations
From the mind

OUTSIDE


The woman
In a brand new minivan
Stopped in front of my house
Got out her car
And began cleaning the hood
With a cloth

A man
With dark sun glasses
In a beat up sedan
Stopped a cross the street
And began
Checking her out

I looked at
Both of them
Through the blinds
In my window

The woman
Who looks like a housewife
Looked in my direction
Got in her car
Put her hair in a pony tail
And drove off

I walked away from my window
Towards my table
On wrote this poem

TORCH



Akademics
Also do exercise

The guy
With the cowboy hat
And the red jacket

Likes asking:
What time is it?

Perhaps he should meet
The akademic sprinter

The backhoe
Is getting rid of
The flagstone

And there’s more
Barefoot walkers

HOT PURSUIT


Green car with a latter
On the roof
Made a tight turn
And makes it alright

And everybody
Feels just alright

I noticed
A black Mercedes
On the rearview mirror

I don’t like it
Since is not a sedan
But a SUV

I put the pedal to the metal
And the Mercedes kept up
Almost bumper to bumper

There were 2 pretty girls
Following us
And I said to my boy:

Son
I don’t know if we
Should be concerned
Or flattered

CHRONOMETER


The woman’s hand
Becomes a claw
And the folks say

Run!
Run!
Run!

But the sand
Is firm
And the tide is low

And walking
Is better
Than ever before

Endless inspiration
Inside the lungs

HAPPENSTANCE


Certainty is as natural
As breathing

I didn’t see
A single ship
On the water

But there were
2 airplanes
On the sky

I encountered
My friend & his lovely wife
On the sand

We greeted each other
And talked about
Birthdays & exercise

As the Italian girl
Walked by
And said hello

LEAD


The bird is dying
The woman is jogging
And the black lab
Has a tight rope on its neck
Being led by a man with a kind face

Eyes are crying
Life is passing
Girls are walking

Fishermen are fishing
And the algae snaps
As I step on it

The man with the pole
Is in a trance
Examines the weights

LOOP



The girl in black
Sprints on the sand
He hair like wings
Lifted by the ocean’s wind

She has an atomic smile
As she says:
Buenos días
I answered:
Buenos días
And I’m almost tempted
To tell her to raise her arms

A middle age woman
Runs in circles
Till exhaustion

She looks like a professor
Or some sort of scholar in distress

She stops running and places
Her right hand on her heart
Before finally collapsing
On the sand

The autochthonous woman
Swims in the waves
Clad in a black swimming suit

Despite the cold water
There’s no confusion
There is no cursing
It seems like she will do fine

The girl sitting
On the rock
Watching the spectacle
Reminds me of you

And the girl
Jogging in pink shorts
Has your profile

GRIEF


The man
In the red sweater
Is fading on the sand

The folder
On his hands
Weighs a terrible
Burden on him

He walks
Barely alive
Barely conscious

Ephemeral like an
Unsuspected visit
Disintegrating like
The dead birds on the sand

PLAYGROUND SWING


How fragile is life
When foam comes out
With happiness

When foams comes out
Through the mouth
Of extradited secrets

Decorating the bridges
And tall buildings
Of the cities in your mind

A rope
Is only an instrument
Of distance

A knot
Is what happens
With careless breathing

A bridge can serve
As a roof
A bridge is
A pendulum

8X8


The skiff lingers
Making circles on the water
And the Portuguese lighthouse radiates

The boat retreats
As the 8x8 foreign man
Petting the 2 canines
Said to me:

Good morning!

A woman
Is confused
With the salt water
Her denim jeans
Have pockets full of sand
She’s on the shore
She’s at the mercy of the cold water

She’s wet
She screams
She curses
She cries
In English

I walk
I walk away
I walk northbound
To the line on the face
Of the earth

Tight lips
She tries to smile
But she can’t

ADOQUÍN


The water diving dog
The beach diving mutt
Returns with a smile on its face

Water dripping from the stick
Lodged on its fangs

As the man with the green jacket
Walked sternly with the money bag
On his right hand

The grandmother
Strolling on the boardwalk
Felt face first on the flagstone

When I approached her
And asked if she was okay
She raised her arms towards me

I reached for her forearms
And picked her up
And she looked at me and said thank you

This time
There was no need
For an ambulance

DAIRY PRODUCTS


I want go to Cabo San Lucas he said
I have family there
And work is good

I told him
The Americans & Europeans
Managed that point of the peninsula

I told him
That things there are
Different from the mainline

There’s a better infrastructure
But this is because the city
Is surrounded by salt water

I wished him good luck
And asked him to show me the exit
To the amusement park

He said:
Follow that tunnel
But don’t get distracted

WALKING TOWARDS THE BAKERY


La señora camina sin botas por la arena…


I read your poem
And then I also
Read your poem
On a customer’s garment

We walked
Making comments
About the moon
All the while
I was thinking of you

The bakery
Was full
Of bread for
Those who sleep

Inside
I thought of you
Outside
I remembered you

THE PROFESSOR


I was thinking
About the snake a killed

As the speaker
An older scholarly
Looking lady said:

We have to something
About the many children
Killing little animals

Earlier she had smiled at me
As I took a glass
Of red wine from the table

Now she stood with
A microphone in her hand
Pleading with her voice

AUTUNM WALK


La piedra
tiene 7 caras
7 formas de herir
Contemplaba esto
Mientras caminaba

And this time
A Chevy Truck
Sopped next to me
With 2 Mexican
Cowboys inside
The driver said:
I’ll take you there

Pero hice
la señal de adiós
Con la mano

And his face
Looked bewildered
And he drove away
Following the same route
Of the black car

Seguí mi camino
Pensando en
Cuál de las 7 caras
Duele más

DINNER


It is a fact
He said
That is being made
In Obregon

But I ate toasted bagels
With sliced tomatoes
And virgin olive oil

I told him
That peanut better
And marmalade
Are good too

It was late at night
And coffee was brewing

Only one channel is working
He said as he looked
At the toaster

I told him he could add
More ingredients
If he wanted to

That only works
In the day he said

GOOD IDEA


There was a knock on my door
I recognized the peculiarity of the sound
It conveys the same effect
That I have used many times before

It asks:
Are you okay?

I did not wanted to multiply
The sense of preoccupation
So I incorporated from bed
And opened the door
But there was no one there

The day was cloudy
Overcast and heavy
A confirmation of my desire
To stay indoors and hibernate
From the changing stations
Of the world

I raised my voice and said:
I am okay

And a voice replied:
There’s breakfast
If you want something to eat

I said thank you
Closed my door
And went back to bed
Listened the radio
And considered it
A very good idea

SECOND NATURE


Thunder lingers outside
And the luxury of peace
Is in shortage

The carpenter hits the nail
The doctor makes an incision
The mechanic turns a screwdriver

They war with their vocations
Their tools & instruments
Their hopes & dreams
Their fears & tears

Movement is detected outside
And is either rest or death
A smile or a cry
Or both at the same time

Intention is spotted outside
A twist to the stomach
A taste of distress
With the pre-confusion of existence
Automatic efforts of survival

AGAVE DREAMS


I entered through your lips
Injected images forbidden by many
I did this for you

I saw your eyes
Turn to combustion
Ferocious glance
And I liked it

I tasted your love
It was the most
Human of all love

I consulted the plant
And nature confirmed
How much I love you
Now I wait

MORNING WALK


The house has 6 rooms
He told her
It is a large house
And it is where
We are going to live

I kept walking
Trying to keep the sand
From getting inside
My shoes

It is nice
He continued
Telling his companion
A young attractive girl
About the place
We all are going to live there
He said

They were practically
Walking behind me
And the guy’s bragging
Was disturbing my walk
My peace
My intentions
My thinking up a poem

I slowed my pace
And let them pass me
And their chatter
Went away with them

I stopped
To look at a short dog
Running towards the waves
Coming in and out
Of swallow water
Diving against the waves

I continued with my walk
And noticed the chatter couple
With wet tennis shoes
And wet ankles
And he said to her
How aggressive is the sea

TU ADN

tu adn
quedó en mis cicatrices
como vitamina e

en mis manos
en mi corazón
en mi conciencia
como remedio del alma

como cuando
el amor despierta
de una siesta

como la recuperación
de un significado perdido
que se transporta
en un portafolios de piel

PATIANCE


The ocean was the examining table
The mountains
The chairs were patients sat

Being on the air is tempting
When asked for advice
Tell them what can make them
Better human beings

Don’t’ tell them that
Which can hurt them

Not keeping your feet on the ground
Comes at a price
It might be a bargain for reality
Or the comfort or togetherness & love
It may be offspring growing like trees

SHIP


The boom
Was felt by the sand
By the little fish
In the sea

By the sharks
By the joggers
And the walkers

It made the algae vibrate
And the dog’s ears perked up

It made me tingle inside
It made me smile

It was a big boom!
And the autumn weather
Felt like summer

CYCLES


The bicycle wheels
Hit the pavement
Like bats hitting intelligent-baseballs
That ricochet towards the best places in the world

The children delivered
Like they always do
That’s why God wants them around

The bicycle wheels
Turn benefits into headlines
Spin sadness away

Rotate despondency
Like a bozo with bad makeup
Make wishes fit into tight places
Move intentions forward

THE ART OF TRANSLATION


Apply fire
To the sentences
Bite each word
Till it bleeds a little
Till you can taste
The saltiness of
Their medium-rare symbolism

Feel the meaning
But most importantly
That which is being translated
Must feel the transformation

The beautiful & painful transmutation
The breaking on
The body of the message
Where organic wings
Will grow like a teenager in love

Do it repeatedly
Till it becomes better
Than the original product

Till it becomes so beautiful
That the readers are blinded
By its brilliance
Because it burns the eye
Like the sun
Like a flame of blue propane
Like the infernos
That give meaning to firefighters

And when it is done
Do it again

Till it shines like gold
Till it screams
Beautiful poems at you
Till you are exhausted
Till it is exhausted
Till you have tears of pride
Running down your cheekbones
Till it has tears of appreciation
Building reservoirs in its soul
And when this is done
Do it again

BLACKBOARD


The guitar scales expressed it better
I say it is only seafood
With lime and salsa
Onions and cilantro
Tortillas and spices
The table is set

And the rearview mirror
Serves a different dessert
A small taste of madness

The green lights
Guide the way like runways
Like studio audiences
Graciously laughing
They all travel towards you

WATER & BLOOD


A sea of algae
An ocean
Producing for
The markets of suspicion

Water is in a glass
Water in your body
Water in my heart

Water dancing
In the clearness
Of the crystal

Water with salt
Closing the openings
Gapes breathing
Gapes expiring

FLEX


High tide in the morning
Sand & water
Like newlyweds

A pacific seal
Decorates the event
With ornamental punctures
On it body

The dog
Lays in the boardwalk

Her owner
Pleading with it
Begging it to get up
To continue the march

We the walkers
Watch the spectacle

EARTHQUAKE


Yesterday as I walked
The earth shook

The dust under my feet
Vibrated in love
With the comets
That were falling

Entering the caves
Of the planet

Signaling the path
Of my journey

Preparing the landing
Of messages
That were floating outside
The international Space Station

MESSAGE


My fingertips manipulated the messages
That would eventually show you the light
That would reflect in your eyes
That would make you aware

My steps lifted the dust for your path
Away from your direction
Away from your discretion
I made it clear
That you don’t need telescopes to see

The metallic sound was just protection
Insulation from lighting bolts
A sense of security
An illusion of defense

The police cruiser on the corner
Glittered with curious apprehension
I stepped on the gas pedal
As if my huarache sandal
Was pressing on your face

The rearview mirror
Speaks of the past as triumph
As miles per hour
In your escape
As the metric fall
Of your garrulity

I met my advisor on the road
While thinking of green oil
I bought him a drink
And stated my case for love

DRIVE HOME


The road at night
Is like an unforgettable photograph
Moving with the reflection of lights

The music in the car
Makes for perfect discoveries
The creation of new memories
And the newness of your labyrinth

I could be behind the wheel
On this motorized desire
And be happy in darkness

With the movement of your legs
With the free intentions of survival
With the remembrance of your taste
With the side effects of your embrace

STEPS


A warrior
Studying the next plan of attack

Lovers
Kissing on a natural bed

I have
Been both of them
Plenty of times

Both realities
Are the same

What is best
Is the definition of happiness:

Children kicking
The red ball
On a green field

THE MOON


I saw the moon today
At the warehouse
Walking towards me and trying
So desperately trying
To pull on a shopping cart

I saw the moon today
On it last efforts
With a bloated face
With the makeup of distress
I tried to smile
Or say hello
But that would only
Make things worse

I saw the moon today
And I remembered
Happier times
When we would argue
About WWII rifles

I saw the moon today
On a commercial intersection
Ready to t-bone me
So I looked at it
And it looked away
It blended away
It went away
It disappeared
In the aisles of merchandise

BLACK CAR


The lady on the black car
Slowed down next to me
And asked:
Are you going to Rosarito?

I told her I was walking but
I think she didn’t hear me

The wind was beginning to pick up

It looked like someone
Had messed with her neck
She wore a neck brace

She said:
Climb on in
I’ll take you down

I am walking I said
She looked at me and insisted:
Are you sure?

Yes
I need to do my exercise

She said okay
And drove away
In her nice black car

THE LITTLE AIRPLANE


The airplane
Circles my sky
It goes round and round
Like smoke rings

It appears in my dreams
And in my travels
Always present everyday

Everywhere the music plays
Everywhere the days are fast
And the nights glow red

The airplane sprays questions
On the heavens
Messages & requests
On the footstool of the Lord

MUSIC


The music stays
Faithful through the night

If only the translation of time
Was as beautiful as you

Each step gets me closer to you
Each glance and smile
Is a signal of you

The sun and the clouds
Dance the ritual of the fall

The beat of autumn
The rhythm of you eyes
The metric of your face
The melodies of your body
The accent of your teeth

BATTERIES


This is a strange situation
A ghostly appreciation of the day
Even the horses look like specters
Friendship to a whole new degree
The tracks of life are on the world
The ocean wants to come out of his corral
The night whispers like nights do
Making inflections with the letter “S”
Loneliness is a spiritual State
Governed by the pursuit of reality
I want you to want me
To become batteries together
I want you to want me
To be with you forever

WELCOME


I slept
Like there was no time in the world
And when I woke up
Your eyes were next to mine
And I thought
Of kissing you
Of touching your lips
Of tasting your tongue
Of pressing myself into you
We locked into each other
And threw away the key
And when you bit me
I woke up with you in my arms
With your love on my mouth

NY-CALIFORNIA


The Japannesse girl
Sitting next to me
Was falling asleep

She tended
To rest her head
On my shoulder

Then she would
Suddenly wake up
And straightened herself
On the airplane’s middle seat

Next to her
Sat my buddy
I think it was him

Because he asked questions
Like he did
And smiled like he did

And I always envisioned him
With a Japanese wife

It must be him
I said to myself
Because we are in heaven

I got up from my seat
And walked down the isle
Towards the restrooms

I noticed a man
Sending me nutritional advice
With a US Daily

I passed him
When I was inside the bathrooms
I saw the ship
With attached keys

I counted the keys
And then I urinated
While in the air

When I was back on my seat
There was the voice
Of a flight attendant
On the intercom saying:
Is there a doctor on board?

MEJOR


los relámpagos
de tu hermosura
me han dejado
moribundo

destellos de belleza
coros del cielo
que anuncian tu destreza
movimientos celestes
fotos con el flash del mundo

cuando miras
el cielo
se ilumina con tu sonrisa
y la noche parpadea
como un ciervo sorprendido

los canes aúllan y yo
prefiero contestarles con silencio

YOU COULD BE A VERSE


California
Could be a satellite but….

+++

Your eyes
And your tits
Are better
Than all the planets
In the universe

+++

Your laughter
Has rhythmic connotations
It makes my heart
Work overtime

+++

The scars could be
Welded enough
Let us smile
As we are kilns

+++

This is
And exercise of fire
Can you hold the torch
Of love with your hands
And win?

+++

VALENCIA


gafa con gafa
labio con labio
lengua con lengua
vino en mi paladar
tu amor en mi alma
risa con risa
me como tu miedo
inhalo tu incertidumbre
ojo con ojo
mano con mano
hombre a mujer
mujer a hombre
lágrimas disfrazadas
de sonrisas dilatadas

PISTA

tu calma
tu más fuerte virtud
tus manos
esquinas de mi alma

tus ojos se enfocan
para discernir el futuro
porque la mitad
de tu sonrisa es americana

la energía de tus pensamientos
puede plantar ciudades
modificar nubes
mostrar los secretos del corazón
desatar los ayes del día
alas de palabras
que no dejas despegar

MEDITERRÁNEO


la lluvia llegó
lágrimas del creador
haciendo redobles
en los tejados
y en los pensamientos
de los habitantes

la lluvia
purificó lo que estaba sucio
como siempre lo hace

hidrató plantas
y sentimientos
sonrisas e intenciones
sincronizó los latidos
del corazón

la lluvia
y sus melodías vitales
sus ritmos existenciales

alimentó los ríos de felicidad
y limpió el cauce de subterfugios

la lluvia
limpió el rojo de tus ojos
y lo depositó
en mi paladar

bautizó tu semblante
con vida

la lluvia
inspiró la construcción
de una nueva arca

un salvavidas del mediterráneo
una nave de estruendos
fabrica de truenos

la lluvia
tocó tus labios
y resucitó tus besos

MICRO-SUEÑO


era el principio de los tiempos
y un edificio
desaparecía en tu espalda

en tus labios navegaba
el barco de los sueños
tu rostro concentrado
en el periódico
sobre la mesa
aritmética
y operaciones matemáticas
como evidencia
de lo importante que
es en la vida
la numerología del amor

era el principio de los tiempos
descubría el arte de un nuevo
conocimiento

cuento
y comprendo que la belleza
está depositada en
el templo de tu alma
que tu frente y tu sonrisa
conspiran
en sostener mi corazón

CAFÉ AMERICANO


eso significa que no
entonces
eso significa que no

¿qué haces?
un poema
¿con eso?
sí

no sé...

y sus pies eran
más deliciosos que el azúcar
y su risa
más preciosa
que los manantiales
una galaxia de suspiros
en cada uno de sus ojos

¿todo lo vas acabar así?
¿así cómo?
no sé

hay
iba subir agua
y se me olvidó

su tos
me persuade
a estar enfermo

¿me pasas un caramelito de menta por favor?
sí por amor

el desayuno
estaba delicioso
que rico
pero el desayuno
eran sus ojos aceitunados
y ella comía chocolate

y el café cortadito
comenzó a sangrar
pero no le dolía
porque emanaba cafeína

SUEÑOS CON LOS OJOS ABIERTOS


abrí los ojos
y miré los tuyos
y el mundo se reflejaba en ellos

abrí mis labios
y me esperaban tus labios
ornamento de tu aliento

el día se hizo noche
y la noche día
sonó el eco de nuestras risas

el planeta giró
un poco más rápido
y las miradas invisibles
buscaron el mejor enfoque

afuera en la lejanía
los perros ladraban
y las avionetas daban vueltas

SKY


The pilot with shaky hands
Has eyes out of control
He walks nervously amongst the passengers

Above the clouds
And below his fears
Almost at the 1000 miles per hour

The sneer he had in New York
Has vacated his face
Maybe he’s cold & that’s why
He put a blue sweater on
It makes him look combersum

Someone else is flying this aircraft
Since the Atlantic is
A hard-cold surface at night

IN PHARAOH’S HAREM


When Sarah entered Egypt
She knew what she wanted
She wanted to get down to business
But she got a mortgage instead

When Sarah entered Egypt
Pharaoh gave in
Losing part of his stock
Losing part of his life

When Sarah left Egypt
She took with her
A time bomb
And her husband tripped it
And Ishmael was born

When Sarah was jealous
She was just Sarah
Longing after the onions of Egypt

ACCORDING TO THE FRENCH ARCHITECT


This hole has a tissue that is disintegrating
As if being eaten by bacteria
It conveys a stunning dose of reality

It is a net with bigger holes
A huge hole
Filled with millions of smaller holes

What a work of art!

The cameras are witnesses
To this tragedy
A disastrous event that is celebrated
As a magnificent achievement

This is a symbol
Of laughter
And lamentations

PORSCHE BOXTER

A la nube
Le falta
Un seno
Se perdió
En una cena
A la nube
Le hace falta
Porque los senadores
Se lo comieron

Dos bautismos en un día es todo un desafío, lo bueno que se celebraban en la misma comunidad y no en diferentes ciudades y el carro estaba nuevo y era convertible, de ingeniería alemana. Yo viajaba en el asiento del pasajero, el único asiento de pasajero porque sólo tenía dos plazas. Mi hermano conducía en alta velocidad pero se sentía como si el auto fuera a 30 millas por hora. Para el retén de policía era una velocidad más alta. No señalaron para que nos detuviéramos.

— A ver… bájate colega.

Me dijo el policía cuando se acercó a mi ventana. Abrí la puerta y me bajé y miré a los demás policías que, de la misma forma, me miraban. El que me dijo colega tomó mi lugar en el carro y cerró la puerta. Permaneció unos momentos sin decir nada, sólo miraba el interior del auto, y guardaba su silencio.

— ¡Qué chingón huele! Dijo finalmente.
— Sí oficial, lo compré hace unos días. Dijo el conductor.
— Simón, es olor a carro nuevo. Dice el chota para después bajarse del carro en silencio y alejarse.

Me subí al carro y nos fuimos, me quedé pensando en el olor a carro nuevo, ese olor que causa cáncer y que le gustó tanto al uniformado. Y el agua corría por en medio de la ciudad como si fuese un río, o muchos ríos, como si las calles fueran de agua y de repente pensé: que buen lugar para celebrar bautismos. Agua por doquier. Cuando estábamos por llegar al final, donde están los peñascos a un lado del mar, el carro se llenó de polvo. Y me di cuenta que todo el mundo también se convierte en polvo.

HETAIRAS


Write about the hetairas she said
Write so they can wake up
Write so we might discover them

All along the conversation
I was trying to figure out
What a hetaira is
But I could definitely feel
More than I could understand

Now that their men
Have been taken down
The hetairas have taken over

They excel in
The art of politics
The art of desire
The art of the eye

The hetairas have been around us
For a very long time

This is
A state of mind

But above all else
It is the workings of
The world

MEXICAN DINER


I met you at diner
I told you I was falling in love with you
And you said you felt the same

For the next six months
I looked for you
In that Mexican diner
And I always found you

And we chatted
From sunup
To sundown

I spoke poetry to you
And you spoke poetry back to me
I told you were my muse
And you sat there
Biting your lips

We dreamt with our eyes open
And celebrated our secret rituals
At that Mexican diner

Then I took you with me to California
And then I invited you to my secret place
I laid on my bed
And you placed you face down on the table
And looked at me
As I tried not to fall asleep

One early morning
Or one late night
I don’t remember which
You asked if I would let you
Take care of me

And you looked so dangerously beautiful
And even though I answered your question
You told me I did not seem too convinced

You looked so beautiful then
As you do look beautiful now
And one day
It seemed like a day to me
But it might have been a night for you
You told me how you felt

And your feelings resonated in my heart
Like a close encounter of the third kind
I knew then you need it more of me
Like I need more of you

It did not happened every time
But when we concentrated
We could make the light
Shine in both hemispheres
At the same time

YOU LOOK KILLER


The sport kills
No need to impress friends
This game kills
Diversion only breeds desire

This risk will put you to sleep
This chance kills
Practice makes perfect
So unfortunately exact

I like being imperfect
These skills make you a dreamer
This craft kills

Friends don’t let friends drive proud

The road kills
The bed kills
The ring kills

The dance floor….

The detective said:
While she danced
She fell dead
In the arms of her partner

This life kills
Eventually everybody
Crosses the finish line

These feelings kill
You better not be too sentimental
For a decent heart rate

Sex kills
Food kills
Work kills
Leisure kills

And pretty soon
The kills start sounding
Like videogame credits

Your eye can kill you
And you hand too
You ear
Your tongue
Your breathing passages
Your everything’s
And your nothingness
All of these and so many more
Can efficiently put you to rest

WE RIDE OUR BICYCLES


We ride our bicycles
And the girl in front
Starts playing with her lighter
She put the flint to work
And the sparks hit the darkness
Next to the ocean

We ride our bicycles
And we have to stop
To listen to the music
The lighter girl has unleashed a fire
And the music is fuel

We ride out bicycles
And stop to grab something to eat
We parked our bikes next to the restaurant’s
Delivery motorcycle
Our rides are better

We ride our bicycles
Through the park
On the boardwalk
Next to the sunset
Through musicians
Painters and poets

We ride our bicycles home
And play with the Indian summer
Happiness on two wheels
Love is exercise