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