A TOWER


He said
My name is Torres
And he was adamant
On giving me
A ticket

His partner was the good cop
When he couldn’t convince
His coworker to forget
The whole incident
He walked away

I followed Torres
As he spoke codes
Into his radio

I immediately thought
About chess
And how a tower
Can be overcome
By a pawn

If it is
In the right place

A horse is handy too
Because they can jump
Through traffic

Bishops speak
With poetry

Then he said
It’s okay
You can go
I am not going
To give you
An infraction

The truck that hit me
Got burned
It broke my turn signal
But his engine overheated
While on the line

He made it into
The yellow poles
American turf
But his ride
Was burning

He was behind me
A cool CBP agent
Clad in blue
Gave him instructions
On what to do
To temporarily
Fix the situation

I watched them
On my rearview mirror
Sticking their heads
Under the hood
Steam all over them

DAVID BOWIE'S WORDS

Planet Earth

Is blue

And there's nothing

I can do

I AM AN ALIEN


Okay okay
I am an alien
And my space ship
Is blue

I can cross borders
By land
By sea
And air

Ozone layer borders
Acoustic borders

I am an alien
But I understand
Fire
Wind
Water

Yes I am an alien
And you didn’t have
To remind me
Using the green
Salad box

I known this
For a long time

But I thank you
For making me smile
On that awkward day

THE ELECTRICIAN


I saw him working
On the neighbor’s
Electric meter

I remember when
We used to go
To school together

He liked punk rock
And he wore a
Denim jacket
With a message:

La sociedad
No tiene cura

I liked that
And I liked him
He always seemed
A nice person

Now he’s repairing
The electric box
Owned by the
Bizarre doctor
The wrong kind
Of healer
Friend of the
Impound yards
The kind of MD
That makes car’s disappear

I asked him if the lady doctor
Goes to his church and
He said no
She works at the
Oasis Hospital
The place I hold responsible
For the contamination
After the motorcycle accident

He mentioned she has a lot
Of Jewish things inside her house
That would explained
The old guy
Who looks like
Bob Dylan
Who wears a hat
And likes to
Spin a key ring
With his thumbs

He looks to old
To be dancing in that fashion
After a certain age
Even a hat
Is not enough protection
For the sun

I asked my childhood acquaintance
If he understands solar panels
He replied that if
They came with an instruction manual
He might be able to figure them out

He looked nervous
It’s okay
We all need
To start somewhere

THE HOLIDAYS


There’s a cool wind
Coming from the north
You feel it when your
Are walking

When you walk south
It’s not on your face
But the sun is
Right on your eyes

North wind
On your shoulders
Heat in your eyes

I like Christmas Eve
In Mexico
I like Christmas
In Mexico

Feliz Navidad…

You can walk on
The beach
In shorts
Without feeling cold

NUNCA TE OLVIDAREMOS

TÚ ERAS MEJOR QUE

SANTA CLOUS

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THERAPY


I want to start 07
With a right kick
Very good said the doctor
And signed the forms

I took the slip
And drove south
Towards the
Organic Marketplace

I found a manager
Sitting at a desk
Stoically contemplating
A store sale add

I said to him
This slip is for you
And handed him the
Piece of paper
He said
Thank you sir

I asked how was
The Christmas party
And he answered: good

You knew about it right?
No
Yes you did
No I didn’t
I was told you knew about it
That’s not correct

Hopefully Mr. Cohn
Can make it up
To me

He changed subjects

I wonder why they
Are not letting you
Come back to the store?

Right now I am on
Physical Therapy
Concentrating on
Endurance & Strength

I carried on:

I am not using a cane anymore
I feel more confident now
You are looking at a
New and improved 1
When I come back
It will be
(Like the popular figure of speech)
With a vengeance

An Incubus Leaving Two Sleeping Women
Henry Fuseli

THE BEAUTIFUL
TURQUOISE EYES
PETITE ITALIAN GIRL


I worked on a trampoline
The objective was to regain
Strength and endurance
In my joint
The radio was close
To my work station
Music dancing out
From the speakers

I like this song…
Do you like incubus?

I just had to ask her:
Do you know what
An incubus is?

No

Do you want to know?

Yes

An incubus is a spirit that
Comes to women an night
And has intercourse with them

God!

I know somebody that used
To be visited by 1 of those
It’s very interesting because
It never bothered her boyfriend
But it was different on their
Weeding night

What happened?

Her husband took off running
He never returned
Very unfortunate
Very horrible

She said she would
Look it up
Then she grabbed
A dictionary

I had to tell her
To be ware of
Paper dictionaries
Because by the time
They publish them
They are usually obsolete
To get the latest updates
Is best to go online

DELICADOS


I stopped at the store
The other OXXO
The one that
Usually has change

I asked for a pack
Of cigarettes
The usual

Delicados con filtro

I paid a dollar
In quarters and
Twenty something cents

In pennies

She said they don’t
Accept that many pennies
She added that
Customers don’t want them
Banks don’t want them
The only banks
That take them are on
The other side of the border

She gave me
The cigarettes
And retuned the 1 cent coins
She kept he quarters

That’s okay
I like Lincoln

NARCO—TUNNEL


The Mexican government
Seized the house
With the tunnel
The one used for
Underground traffic

It ran below the
Tijuana border
Into a “duty free” store
In California

Not inside the store per se
But its parking lot

The tunnel is now closed
Now the house
Is an artist’s refuge

Someone thought
It would be a good place
(The balcony)
To read poetry

A few feet away
On the California parking spaces
The American poets
Read back to us
Using megaphones

The guy with the
CNN microphone
In his hand
Seemed uneasy
Perhaps it was
The burning sage
Or he was
Scared of heights

The wind was cold
And there was
An ugly dog
That I liked

FRENCH


To learn
Or not learn

The teacher
Is lovely
She poured wine
In my glass
And told me
I will
Like the
French desserts

Showed me
The couch
I could use
To watch
French cinema

Is there a
French alliance?
A French connection?
A French allowance?

HEAT


The radiologist said
She is not afraid of radiation
Because it’s everywhere

Then I will
Not be afraid
Of my black box
That tiny
Plastic brick

That burning
Supply of power

Because it keeps me
Warm in
The hard winter
It makes
The nights friendly

Who would think
That something that
Causes global warming
Is a great substitute
For love

RADIO STATION


When the interview
Was about to begin
We saw through the
Studio window
An Eagle eating a Mouse
On top of an electric poll

We were so high
We could see
Tijuana & San Diego
Anointed with smog

When they asked me
What is poetry
I pointed to
The bird’s beak
Shards of
Bleeding flesh
Hanging from it

STRETCHES


The therapist stretched my leg
Not in the usual way
This time it didn’t hurt

I thought about
The old slogan
“No pain no gain”

So I told him
Hey man
As your were bending
My knee
You didn’t twist
My foot towards
The left
It didn’t hurt
Like it usually doeswhen you do
Those maneuvers

He proceeded to explain
How wrong it is to
Do it like that
How you can do damage
To the meniscus

It’s nice to know
He was trying to rip
My meniscus apart
A lesson in stretching

FRIDAY NIGHT


Literary awards
Granted by the State
I liked the wine
The potatoes and caviar
Where worth the taste
The governor seems
To be a smiley guy

I still remember
Martin’s words
You should enter the contest
I am sure you would win
I thought about it
And found myself translating
Like a crazy my
English poems into Spanish

It was madness
So I stopped
The conversion project
Such operations
Should not be done in haste

So I concentrated on the event
On the faces of the winners
As their names were pronounced
On the PA
On how the blue governor
Smiled on them

A high point
A winner with a mini—skirt
She walked up
On the podium
Blue glances at her face
But her underwear
Was black

Then time came to go
Read at the tavern
So we drove in a convoy
It was a starless night

When I was at the door
Chatting with a
California photographer
A government sedan
Double parked next to us
2 fellows came out
The driver looked scared
And the passenger
Dressed in black
His face like that of a car
Wanted to be friendly
He said hello and smiled
Pat me on my arm
And walked in

And it turns out
It was his day view
He read a couple of poems
Not bad for a bureaucrat
He read love poems
And I wonder if those poems
Were really his
Or was he just following
The script

VISUAL THERAPY


You look
So good
In black

You are
Thin & tall
A celestial diplomat

You have
Long dark hair

It falls down
Like Amazonian waters

You are an
Oceanic beauty

TIJUANA EXERCISES


Getting back in shape
Recuperation of
Survival limbs

Cross—training dream
My sights fixed
On the market

The RX
Is for
Staying power
I think that’s

Write—on!

The celebrated author
Said endurance is
Better than talent

Building resistance
Like a happy dam
Glorious reservoir

4 POETS ON THE SIDEWALK


The crowd was watching
The soccer game on the tube
They were pondering not
On literature
And that was fine because
The were happy
They hold their beers
On their tables and had
Their glances trained on
The televisions that
Hang from the corners
Of the tavern

The team with the
The right colors won
By this time I was on
A different place
A restaurant not a cantina
And the poet had coffee
And I had a corona

Then it was time to
Go back to the tavern
To begin the reading
I was eager to listen to
This coffee poet read his poems

There are different types of poets
There’s coffee poets
Beer poets
Wine poets
And liquor poets
There’s also dope poets
But nowadays dope poets
Are no good
Maybe because today’s dope is bad

Whatever the case may be
I remembered how this coffee lyricist
Had a particular message for the Vatican
When he read at festival of literature
Something that stimulated my attention
So I wanted to hear more of his work

He paid the waitress and when
We were about to leave
I stopped to say hello to
A lady with a hole in her eye

She said the medicine she took
Was so strong that it burned her eye
I told her I would pray for her

By this time the Vatican versifier
Was reading some material
At the magazine rack
We stepped out the door
To an avenue of revolution

And we saw the other 2 poets
Walking our way
The queen of hearts
And the psychologist

We walked
The 4 of us
As one
She said
Who would think
That 4 poets would march
On this walkway

TIJUANA MORNING


He said
Wake up
His hair was
Nicely combed
He was wearing a
Bright red sweater
And blue pants
As his uniform

His olive skin
A product of
A perfect combination
In a night of fire

He was
Standing upright
And he was
Looking at me
In a nonchalant mode

SOFA DREAM


As I sleep
On the sofa
My 5 year old
Puts a blanket
Over me

And I dream
Of better times

Of wheels turning
And of
The girl
Who liked
To blow my face

She had a good smile
And garlic breath

THE STREETS
OF TÍA JUANA


Your touch
Full of tender
Carnitas

Your hands
Are music

Your skin
A melody

Bombastic perhaps
But nonetheless
A song

You are healing
You are getting better

I have learned
To write
On the lines
Of your body

A love story

The disease
Is going away
The medicine
Is working

A POETIC INCURSION IN TIJUANA

Daniel Charles Thomas, Juan José Martínez, Brandon Cessmat.

THE GYPSY


I was going to be the best
I could be
But then she came along
And sat at next to me

Or was it I
That sat next to her?

We both were
Drinking microbrews
This was before
It was so very trendy

And she would rub
My leg with her leg
Under the table

So I thought
What the hell
I will kiss her
And I did

She was blonde
And had big breasts

We got out
Of the bar
And inside
Her French car

We drove towards
The hills
The her apartment

We undressed
And laid on her bed
And I worked
And worked
Then she pulled
A maneuver
A professional move

I was stuck there
Like a dog
And I couldn’t
Get out
It was till every
Drop of juice
Was extracted
That I was let loose

I look at the rubber
And noticed
It had ripped

Something that
Only happened
With my first wife

And as I was dressing
She looked at
My shoes
(Nikes)
On the floor
Next to her bed
And she said
My dad has
A pair like those

SEREIA


Your beauty heals
The broken bones
Of the city
By the ocean

Sereia
Your presence
Has the power
Of wonder
Of miracles
In the flesh

Sereia
You are
The definition
Of exquisiteness

Sereia
Your touch
Opens the universes
Your skin
Is the antidote
That turns ugliness
Into delightfulness

Sereia
Are you real
Or are you
A vision
Of dying man
In the search
Of love

Sereia
You have the power
Of grace
You charm
The 7 seas

Sereia
You existence
Is an exotic remedy

CBP AGENT RAYA


You got a haircut
Don’t look like
Jose Feliciano no more

No doubt
You’re a percussionist

You bang that
Metal computer table
And make it sound
Like a cowbell

You still wear
The dark shades
And that’s okay
Because I know
You could make
Folks dance

You never say
A word to me
That’s fine
Your drumming
Speaks very well

I play guitar
Want to play
In a band?

THE DOCTOR
WRITES ON MY CHART



I stepped outside
To smoke a cigarette
And a shooting star
Fell on
The toll road

It made me remember
That silver bullet pen
The 1 you can
Use to write
Upside down

The 1 used
To write instructions

The medicine man wrote
On my eyes:

When you ready
To go back
Work on a desk

Just what
The doctor ordered….

CHANGE OF STORES


The headline reads:

Business men
And narcos
Flee from Tijuana
To San Diego

I am browsing
The newspaper
Wondering if
This exodus
Includes the folks that
Like to wear masks
And carry long arms

The ones that
Like to
Frighten reporters

I just had bought
A pack of Delicados
And I kept browsing
The newspaper

The one
That claims
It moves
Like the wind

Then the old woman
The one that never
Has any change
Said I could buy it
At the cash—register

I told her
I had not
Decided yet

She said
I was taking
A long time

I told her
I was a regular
A faithful customer
That if she felt that way
I would leave
To never return

And the she said
Something like:

But Sir….

And I said
It is over
And I waved goodbye
And gave her the
Best smile I could

And the lady
In the phone booth
Held the device
Close to her ear
And she looked
She listened
She whispered

COMMUNION


On 2 consecutive
Days of the sun

We did not drive
On the road next
To the crowns
Floating on the water

Those cosmetic details
On the Pacific Ocean

1 time it was
Because it was raining

The 2nd time it was
Because of
The common cold

But I know that soon
Fire will be
Served in a spoon
And the children
The precious family
Will be happier
And healthier

Strong enough
To kill infections

METEOR SHOWER

OR
PARA TIJUANA



The Lower California
Still is the
Wild West

The inauguration
Of the historic building
Was received
With a surprise

When the
City mayor said
Para—Ti—juan—na
Fire—works
Roared in the city

We all felt
The vibrations
Under our feet

It looked
Like Bagdad
Under attack
Iraq with
A Tijuana accent

Rays of light
Shooting up
In the darkness
Of the sky

Trying to hit
Invisible invaders

With the first bang
There was
A collective feeling
Of an assassination attempt

And everybody said
Ahhhhhhh!
But when the
Night sky lit up
Thoughts were different

There were
So many explosions
And many flashes

The smoke moved
Amongst the
Parked vehicles and
The stunned people
It dance to the tune
Of confused
Car alarms

TOOLS OF THE TRADE


1 of my doctors
Writes with
An astronaut pen

He said
He lost many
But has managed
To keep
The one
He’s using to
Write on my file

I told him I used
To have one
That I purchased
In the Northwest

I got mine
In an outdoor store
He got his
On the internet

I told him
I am concerned
Because the pens
Don’t come
With clips

He explained they
Come in
Many different models
And added
That he likes his
“my bullet”
He called it

And it does look
Like a silver bullet

He gave me
A new cane
Told me
I can use it
To hit

We both smile
And when we
Were parting ways
He said
Enjoy your new stick

APOLOGY


I am sorry Aaron
I knew it was
Your shot
But I went ahead
And fired my rifle

I could see disenchantment
Taking possession
Of your European features

You didn’t seemed
Like the vengeful type
But I had my 45 ready
Just in case

There were 2 of them
One was for you
And the other one
For me

And you were
So professional
And courteous
You gave me
The first shot

I raised my 30’06
And looked
Through the scope
And I saw
Behind the crosshairs
The gracious silhouette
Of God’s creation

And I breathed in
And slowly began
To exhale as
My index finger
Slid down and
Caressed the trigger
And did not pull it
But I did press it

And the experience
Was so intense
That I didn't
Heard or felt
The powerful detonation

And about
A football field away
I saw my prey jump
And runaway

But its friend stayed
Right there
It did not move
It froze
So you aimed
And concentrated

I quickly worked
The bolt—action
Aimed and fired
Once again
And I missed

We both watched
How it ran away
Gracefully leaping
Through the
Beautiful northwest country

So we walked down
The hill quietly
Moving slowly
In the dawn

And we found
The blood
And we followed
The red trail
And I knew
This kill was mine

And I was
Going to explain
My reasons
For the certainty
Of death
But I decided
To keep quiet

We found
My game
Under a tree
A complete harvest

And I thought
I had missed
And hit the ground
And that made him jump

No!
The spirit of
The bullet
Lifted that
Unit of proteins
In the air
And it lifted
My sensations
Even higher

THE REPORTER


He was stopped
By masked men
With machine guns

I thought they were
Going to kidnap me
He said

I tried to reassure him
I told him
That if he’s not
A millionaire
He has nothing
To worry about

They asked him
About his profession
And he told them
He’s a journalist

He should tell
To the ones
Pointing guns at him
That he covers the arts
And not the
Police department
Not local politics

QUICK BREAKFAST


An efficient
Mexican breakfast
1 that is fast
And nutritious
Is roasted chicken

It doesn’t matter
If it is cold
Refrigerators are
Meant for those purposes

What is important
Is how the tortilla
Is heated

Don’t use a comal
Place the tortillas
Directly on the burner

Propane is better
Than electricity

Let the blue flame
Caress them

Till the aroma
Of the smoke
Hits your nostrils

Then turned them over
You need calluses
On your hands
Otherwise you
Will burn yourself
And become
Part of the meal

Don’t forget
The spices

Before I fail to remember
There’s nothing better
In the morning
Than the aftertaste
Of black coffee
And hot peppers

SCHOOL


I am inside my son’s classroom
Sitting next to a bizarre woman
Who is feeding a baby

It was a meeting
For parents
And we signed our
Children’s report cards
And I remember my years
In this same classroom
How we used
To play games
And how dangerous
They really were

Because when the kids
Started bringing their
Parents live rounds
I managed to get
My hands on
Some 22’s

And we would throw
Stones at the cartridges
And they would sound
Like firecrackers
And the bullets would
Fly away amongst
The children
In the playground

And then Felipe
Covered his
His right temple
With his hand
And there was
A little blood

The bullet
Grazed him
But in a matter
Of minutes
He was playing again

The kid that
Threw the stone
At the bullet
Got expelled

Years later
Other friends
Were hit
They were not playing
They were working
They were not
As lucky

GOD
THE BORDER PATROL
AND I



Sun & wind
A dried
International border

The inspector asked me
If God covers
My serial number
I answered
I don’t know

But I considered
His question
A nice thought

He said that maybe
I placed Him there
As to block the view
To the number

I said no
I told him:
I put Him there
So you can see Him

The agent
Looked to his left
And said thank you

VENTANA EN EL CIELO


Destruye tus
Tarjetas de crédito
Usa los restos
Para hacer púas y
Tocar la guitarra

Desconecta tu teléfono
Para comunicarte
Escribe notas
O cartas
O poemas
O besos
O has el amor

Conoce a tus vecinos
Es mejor
Para ti
Y para ellos también
En una emergencia
Podrás usar sus teléfonos

Tu automóvil
Sólo para urgencias
Acostúmbrate a
La bicicleta
Existirás longevo
Una fuente de salud

Evita la televisión
Los comerciales
Y tendrás menos espejismos
Menos dolor y confusión

No te creas
De los fatalistas
Los narcisistas
Los hedonistas
Los racionalistas

No les hagas caso
Déjalos pasar
Como aviones
De guerra con otro destino

For those of you that read Spanish..... An incentive to support the arts south of the border.

THE LAST CBP AGENT


God bless you
You looked like
Jose Feliciano
With your dark glasses

You were singing
And banging against
The metal
That holds your
Computer monitor

You seemed in
In good spirits
And when I
Saw you and
Heard you
I became
More optimistic

I can’t forget
That image man
So today
I grabbed
My guitar
And sang
The song

You know
That famous tune
The 1 named
Feliz Navidad

SERENDIPIA


La cofradía ya no es secreta
Porque el afecto es como
Un avión que se queda
Sin combustible en nubes hinchadas
De acido y azufre

Y los mensajes son falsos
Como la pared
Con el orificio por donde
Atravesaron los últimos
Impulsos de tus besos

Las sonrisas rotas
Son signos de
Un acercamiento inevitable
Encuentro catastrófico
Copulación de
Corazones muertos

El más feroz animal
Consume a sus dueños
Porque los frenos
Nunca funcionaron
Nunca los activaron
Y ocurre como
El tigre o león
O elefante
Que mata a su amo
En el circo

Lamentable sufrimiento
Dolor de necios
Brindis de insensatos

Que angustias prueban
Mis amigos
Por las noches
En sus cobijas encuentran
Amarguras de madrugada

FESTIVITIES AT THE GRAVEYARD


The little dog
Helps the dead
Cross the river

We took a ride
To our
Local cemetery

We saw lots
Of doggies

And lots
Of dead persons

Always give
The dog
Money for
His assistance

We enjoyed
The live music

EXPERIMENT


I activated
The control
In my brain
That makes
My face move
With peculiar efforts

And it did work
Because her eyes
Became dreamy
Like if she
Had many a shot
Of tequila

And there
Was a smile
On her face

I stopped
Looking into
Her blue eyes
Because the experiment
Left a cold—hot
Anointing on
My dark skin

BLACKOUT
2 FAMILIES
BY CANDLE LIGHT


As we arrived at the writer’s home
There was a blackout
The neighborhood went dark
And we walked towards the open gate
Walked through the hallway
And entered the unlock front door
It was a metal door and the light bulbs
Were turning on & off

And the author was on the 2nd floor
And we were on the 1st floor
And he said he was going to
Come down shortly
He was encouraging his daughter
Against the dark and since the
Electric power was coming
In & out
I helped him unplugged his
Electronic appliances
First went the stereo
And then the refrigerator

And then I lit some candles
That were next to an icon of
The Theotokos
As my children played with toys
That were left on the sofa

Then he came down
With his son & daughter and a flashlight
And a DVD for me to borrow
And he said that it would be better
If all of us be together since
It was dark and we all agreed

I said it was just like in the movies
And I thought I saw him smile
And I smiled too trying to not to laugh

And we all sat at his table
And we were about to start playing Uno
When we heard noises coming
From the basement
Clicking noises as if someone
Was typing on a computer keyboard
That’s what the writer’s daughter said
And we all heard the clicking sound
But he could not hear it

And I thought it may be the breaker box
Flipping on & off
And the writer walked down to the basement
And the rest of us were
Waiting with playful anticipation
And when he returned he said
The scanner was on
And he shut it off

Then he opened the
Refrigerator and handed me
A 2X and he got and O’doul’s
For himself

And we began to play Uno
And my children liked the game
And I remembered how
To play because it had been
Many years since I last
Saw 1 of those card sets

We continue playing
And the lights
Kept turning off and on
And the children started
To fall asleep 1 at the time
And when we had 2 kids
Out of the game
We decided stop playing
And the lights were back on
We thank him
And said goodbye
We went home

BEAUTY HEALS
FASTER THAN DRUGS


Life has placed
Lovely images
On you ankles

Your presence
Shines with
The energy
Of enchantment

Your hair
Flows down
Like a cascade
In summer

WIND STORM
AN AIRPLANE
PASSES BY


I awake in
An empty house

It’s only
A bare residence
Nothing too upsetting

Despite the
Dry spirits
That spit dirt
Into my nostrils
And irritate
My throat

I think I got it
Under control

So I get on
The truck
To drive and
Find a sense
Of purpose

And the streets
Are covered
With fine dirt
That cracks
The skin
On my lips

And I remember
The friendly
Electronic voice
That said
There’s no
Beauty here

And then I comprehend
What I need to
Be looking for

CONVALESCENCE


Reading a poem
Of isolation
And melancholy
In another language
Is not depressive

When the translator
Is radiant
With loveliness

Anguish & desperation
The flavor of pain
Of abandonment
A vessel
Of blindness
A dying soul
On the road

Gives velocity to
The healing process
Because beauty
Overcomes pain

11 PESOS COFFEE STOP


When I parked
The beat—up truck
I saw 2 police motorcycles
At the entrance
Right on the sidewalk

The policemen
Sat at a table
Frozen like
Copper statues

No donuts
For these guys
And it was too early
For tacos
Just caffeine

They read
Tijuana newspapers
With more of the usual
Shootings
Police pursuits
Additional dead people

I wanted to read
Their eyes
But they did not
Look up

There’s no sun today
It is overcast
There’s water
In the air

BIO—PURGATORY


I am inside
A stare

So organic
It makes sneezing
A byproduct

I am
Stuck in
The tollhouses

POWDER GRASS


And it’s sometimes
Hard to make it
To work

Especially if
The traffic
Is heavy
With bullets

Congestion
Of internal
Combustion

Echoes of
A place
Called liberty

A BIKE WITH A CATEYE


Now I am able
To peddle
All the way around
The chain drive
It’s a mechanical world

Exercise is work
And work
It’s a good thing

I do it slowly
The joint
Still is
Tight & swollen

But it’s
Getting better
With such medicinal
Brazilian smiles
So I asked her
About Pessoa

I was told
Not to go dancing yet
Sometimes you have
Not other choice

PHYSICAL THERAPY


The therapist
Said I was
Going to ride a bike
On that particular session

I have always
Love cycling

When I was
8 years old
My father
Got me my
First mini—bike

It ran on
Gasoline
And it had
Little fat tires

I wasted no time
I took the maid’s daughter
For a ride

It felt good
The way she put
Her arms
Around my waist

When we arrived
At the first stop sign
We gently crashed
On the Mexican pavement
Just across my house

We got up and
I parked the bike
On the driveway
And sat on the
Back seat of
My parent’s car
Where my riding partner was
Waiting for me

I laid down
Placed my head
On her thighs
And she started playing
With my hair
Her fingers were
Massaging my scalp
And it felt so good
She was wearing a skirt
And her skin was soft
Against my face

I am thinking
On all of this
As I struggle
To peddle on
The gym’s bike
And I can hardly do it
Because my knee
Will not bend enough

The therapist told me
“You will recuperate
If you keep up
The hard work”

And I know
I will ride a bike
Again

AT THE CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUND


I wait for
My two boys
As they jump
Up & down
In amusement

I observe
The murals
Paintings of cartoons

I see
dumbo
And nemo
The tasmanian devil
And a lion
With profoundly
Sad eyes

He looks
As if he
Just killed
Someone

SURGERY
(ANOTHER 1)



It’s challenging
To write
After an operation
Analgesic dreams
Seem to
Hinder the
Creative act
A matter
Of embarrassment
Or a vision joy

The nurse said
I was not going
To remember anything
I still remember
Her face and
The lovely way
She gave me
A can of apple juice
And I drank
From it

In a scale of
1—10
Where is
Your pain?

An 8
I said
And she said
This will
Make you
Feel better

And I felt tingling
On my
Upper body

In a scale of
1—10
Where is
You pain?


A 7
I said
And she
Injected 1 more
On my IV

And I felt
As if spices
Were swimming
All over
My head

I don’t remember
If she asked me
A 3rd time
About the famous
Pain scale

I do remember
Telling her something
About the number 6

But I don’t know
If she did anything
About it

WHISK


Dogs eat beans
Behind the bushes
They were
Never sweet
So they had
Cocoa powder
For desert
When you simmer
All of this
Magic happens
A blond
Woman appears
Eating guitars

PURCHASE


I bought myself
A pig
It’s green
And blue

I will
Make it fat
And then
Break it

But the salesman
Said to me
(En español)
I don’t need
To do it
That way

He said
I could cut
A whole in
In the gut

Take the goods out
Then patched it up
And use it again

TECATE


A poetry reading
In a brewery
That’s the way
God intended it

I believe this
As a matter
Of faith

The poet
That carries
A castle
On his surname
Convinced me
That all taverns
Should be bookstores

A safe heaven
For readers
And writers
And listeners
And friends
And enemies

The poet
That first translated
Bukowski’s poems
Into Spanish
Has wisdom
That can be discerned
When you drink
Firewater with him

Mayor Nick Inzunza should be California’s next governor

… the unreal half-artistic professions, which, while they pretend to be close to art, in practice deny and attack the existence of all art - as, for example, all of journalism does and almost all criticism…

R. M. Rilke.

LA MESA
AS SHE SPOKE TO ME
I WAS WRITING

Your face has
The perfect constellations

El silencio es una ventana
Para encontrar tesoros

Personal movements bring
Drops of revelry

Y las sonrisas
Se reparan
Con proteínas

Your eyes
Are crystals
Better than diamonds

Tus brazos
Y tus piernas
Son como
El mar
Pero viven
En las nubes
Del deseo

Your beauty
Is tall enough
To reach
My solar system

A POEM OF REMEMBRANCE
FOR RON COHN


Ron
I still remember
Your peculiar order
Your strange wish
Your tenebrous words

Your wantonness for
Something impossible
That lacerating message
Offensive movements
From your lips

I still recall
Your command:

“I want this place
Spotless like
A Cathedral”

I am sorry Ron
Your store
Is not a place
Of venerations
Your market
Worships the
Love of money

It’s going to take
More than
Illuminating rows
Of 1’s
(I am flattered)
To see better

It’s going to take
More than
Nickels and dimes
To repair the damage

Your place
Yes it’s dirty
With the blood
Of dead meat
And the stench
Of rotting fish

And I will continue
Cleaning it
Till it becomes
Spotless like
An Operating Room

REQUEST TO MY MANAGER

David
Give me Sundays off
Because of my
Sliced fingers
&
My shot meniscus

David Arias
Give me weekends off
And I will pray
To all the saints
For you

When you are
Fishing in the sea
On your nice boat
In a beautiful
Sunday morning

You can always
Use prayers
When you are
Deep in the waters

COPS IN TJ

2 nights in a row
I have been pulled over
The cops don’t ask
For money anymore

They just ask quick questions like:
“¿Cómo andas?”
And I said something to the effect of
“Ando bien”

I see how he’s holding his pistol
Ready pull it out
From his holster
Gringo style

I read his name badge
I always like to know the name
Of those who consider
Sending me
6 feet under

And I can tell he’s wearing
A bullet proof vest
I also know
I don’t have a chance

I reach for the glove compartment
To look for a lost
Vehicle registration card

And when he sees
My hand
Getting so close
He said
It’s okay
You can go

And I said
Something like
“Have a nice day”
Or something efficient
Like that

And the 1 that
Stopped me tonight
Had a lot of
Saints around
His wrist
And he saw
A lot of
Worn comfortable
Prayers around mine

He was concerned
With how I maneuver
My left turns
He asked me
Why I drive this way
And I could do
Was show him
The huevos
I had just bought

I told him I was
Running late
And that I needed to
Take care of my family

Then he said he was going to
Take me to a judge
And let him or her decide
If I needed to pay a fine
I told him I would follow him
And he said
“No, I will follow you”

I started my engine
And drove towards the
Unknown judge
Towards the unknown
Destination and I
Looked in my rearview mirror
I could see no police car
Following me
So I looked for this policeman
All over downtown
And I got tire of looking
And drove home
Amongst the unbearable traffic

PHOTOCOPIES

I don’t like Kinko’s
But sometimes
There’s no other choice
But to stare at
The apathetic employees
Burdened by
The sadness
Of mergers

This morning
Was different
I was able to get
Across the border
Without incident

I sometimes feel
½ the inspectors
Are friendly
And the other .5
Would like to see me
On the wrong side
Of the fence
Forever

My truck
Passed inspection
It also passed
CHP officers
As they worked
Detained cars
The 1’s driven
By the working class

This time Kinko’s
Was also different
The worker
That helped me
Looked a lot
Like a crazy
American youth pastor
That used to
Imitate sumo wrestlers
On Mexican summer trips

He paid close attention
To detail
And even made
A literary comment
About my poem
He was the best Kinko’s guy
He should be the owner

WORKING DAYLIGHT

In the morning sun
I was told
There was
A Santana wind coming

I drove towards
The border
And the line
Was so short
Like a snake
Chopped off
With a machete

The inspector had
The sun’s radiance
On her face
As if she had just
Come down
A holy mountain
Bless her soul

In the organic store
I was offered
Crackers with cheese
I ate them
Inside a freezer

My friend was
Kind enough
To share his food
With me
&
I shared a poem
With him

He paid money
For his food
I traded
My vanity
For the poem

http://keeponcrossin.com/

AN ORGANIC POEM
FOR RON COHN

Oh Ron Cohn
Employer in
Pursuit of
My life

David Arias
(Your boy wonder)
Has written me
A heartfelt memo

Nothing too artistic
Some sort of a
Marketable threat
With feelings
Dripping between
The lines

He has ambushed
Poor Aaron
&
Poor Pedro

Making them partakers
In the
Organic cloud
Of witnesses

And now even
Popeye the sailorman
Would think twice
Before eating
The spinach
You sell
Not because
He’s afraid of the
E. coli outbreak

But because
He understands
The seriousness of
The diseases
Of the soul

Your store smells
Like it has been
Fumigated with exploitation

That odor gives me headaches
And makes me sneeze out
The most sinister
Of your intentions

And I can still smell
That poison
On your shelves

The cries
Of the hurt children
Those who fell
On your floors
Are flammable
They will ignite

BORDER PATROL
AGENT LOTT

God did not
Turned you
Into a statue
Of salt

But He
Grabbed your arm
And did not
Let go

You said
It’s immaterial
I say
It’s mystical

You tell me
To take it easy
But I would like
To know
Why are you
So uptight?

CBP AGENT

Such a nice girl
If I wasn’t taken
I would ask her out

He surname
Is phonetically
Beautiful

She told me
I had a whale
In my plate
But all
I could see
Was the tail

Some kind of trophy
On the front
Of my truck?

I guess we could
Cut it
In little pieces
And fire a shot
At starvation

We could feed
The children
And the families
Of the working class

RON COHN INC & DAVID ARIAS
THE MICROBIOTIC DUO
&
THE GLOOMY STORY OF
HENRY’S MARKETPLACE
CHULA VISTA


But batman & robin were better
Because they were professionals
And they had faith

But you guys
Are a pair of bozos
Trying to gain back control
Of your rat infested joint

And the cockroaches
Have found their shrine
In the work
Of your hands

And you
Crunching numbers
While your workers
Are crushing their limbs

You have a smile of profit
While your butchers
Say farewell to their fingers

You look the other way
When you employees
Are victims of assault & battery

And then you said
“Nothing last forever”
You have made yourself
A market of accidents
A place of pain

DOG EATS PIG
OR
A TJ TAIL

Ham & beacon are delicious!
Said the little dog
Wearing the
The funky sombrero
He said the swine was
Helping a little mouse
With car theft
The pooch said
He didn’t eat them because
The pig & mouse
Were thieves
He said it was
Because he was hungry
And now he has
A taste for them
Some sort of
An addiction
And the funny thing
Is that now
He’s got
A K9 gig
And every time
He sees all those hogs
He gets the munchies

NIGHT

Just like rich children
Wanting to belong
Wanting to hug their poor offspring
Hating & loving each other
Both being afraid
But what they really want
Is to kiss
1 another

Just to be friends because
They want to belong
Eat & drink & be marry just like
Solomon advices everyone to do so

What a mistake is not to be friends
That’s why this electronic beat
Rushing from within the speakers
Perseveres in transcendental fellowship
And the action of embarking into
A marvelous opening of the eye

With exquisite glances of remembrance
Because forgetfulness
Becomes a disposable joy
Just like walking on
The line of patience
Waiting for nothing in particular

Peculiar liquid moments
I am talking about when
Rural becomes beautiful
For non other reason than
The simplicity of the will

Inviting more eyes to
Join the miracle of discovery
Because here
Summer never ends
Like camping on seldom
And scattered stars

Interesting looking
Oriental letters
Or whatever has that
Eastern tang
That you can eat
Or drink or inhale
In the most conservative
Moves and steps
And swing with
All that feeling

After all this is
A decision for celebration
It doesn’t matter
If the circumstances
Are like 2 baby twins
Eating chocolate
And greetings are inside
An envelope with
Wet wishes

It is okay
If sensuality resides
In feminine feet
And then hides
Inside the mysteries
Of the girl’s stomach
Because everyday
Is your birthday

ANTIDOTE

The bright blue eyes
Yes that customer

He said to me
As I sat on the chair:

“This is the most sensible thing
I have ever seen”

I could only smile
Then he went on:

“I used to do this type of work
When I was little”

He was the nicest guy
And all of the sudden
I did not feel down anymore
Since I was
Written up

WHEN A BORDER INSPECTOR
WALKS AWAY HIDING HIS NAME
TAX PAYER DOLLARS @ WORK


Next time you say
"Hijo de puta"
Said it out loud
And said it to my face

It would help
If you get rid
Of your
Idiotic accent

The guy with the
Stop sign on his hand
Asked a sensible question
A cool cat
A levelheaded agent

But there’s no doubt
That you
Are an
Insignificant
Decrepit
Bastard

How much they pay you
To insult the mothers
Of border crossers?
You are
An imbecile

I don’t have
Your name
But I have
Your picture
How can I forget
Your nauseating face?
A Tijuana dog
Looks better than you

INSPECTOR VALENZUELA
OR
THE HIGHWAY PATROL
VS
THE BORDER PATROL


She said it was
My luck day
Another lucky day?

But first I want to know
If it is
Valen… as in me vale?
Zuela…. as in suela

&

Why does inspector Vitela
Rhymes
With inspector Valenzuela

I can tell you that
The highway patrolmen
Are not highwaymen

So far they are
The good guys
In this border
Motion picture

Valenzuela
You are the one
Who pronounced
The word "inspire"

Inspiration
Are you invoking
Perspiration?

Maybe next time
You can take off
Your sunglasses

I would like
To see
The sun
In your eyes

OUT FOR A WALK


I walked far away and I could see
To blue ocean to my left
Met all kinds of people and some
Where very nice and beautiful and knew
How to make love but did not know how
To be friendly and kind and gentle
So I kept walking and I would sing
A song once in awhile and the people
Would like that and they would
Give me something to drink

And then I fell in love with a girl
That had fire for hair and she knew
How to fire a rifle and how to
Keep my attention fixed on
Her youthful semblance
I would play guitar for her
And 1 day she was crying and told me
She was leaving me and I asked her why
And she said because she was going to miss me

Then I landed on a house the fed robots
And the kids there liked me very much
So much that when I told them that I
Might need to go back to the motherland
They began to cry but not like
The girl of the hair of fire
They cried in silence without tears
Their faces would turn otherworldly
But there was nothing ugly about that
Transformation that touched my eyes

And 1 of them wanted me to meet this girl
And he would beg me to ride motorcycles
And I would tell him I didn’t own a motorbike
And he would say “that’s okay I have 2”
And we went to the forest and rode them bikes
And he told me he liked guns
And then I crashed on a pine tree
But nothing happened to me or the machine



And then I finally met the girl
The was nothing out of the ordinary about her
Except that she looked like someone
I might of grownup with or gone to church with
And she made me feel at home with her presence
So we began to know each other in a very different way

And 1 night we got inside a silver dollar
And there was music there
It was Bob Marley telling a woman not to cry
And I told her that Bob was right (just in case she would start crying)
But she was unable to cry anyway

Because she would only cry for k9’s
And turtles and lizards and cats
And little white mice and elephants
And little fish of all colors
That swam sadly inside a fish tank
But we ended up in my bed anyway
Because she seemed like a nice girl

She would do breakfast in bed
And also she would scratch my back
And she was the best at what she did
And I left 2000 miles south
And she followed me and we lived
Near the beach and she seemed so happy
When everything was so crazy
But she was genuinely happy
So before we both went insane
She in a happy kind of way and I
In a lack of religion sort of way
We decided to move

So we headed back north once again
And I met witches and dogs that
Hang themselves trying to jump the fence
While they were still on a leach
And the surviving big dogs
Would kill the surviving tiny dogs
And law suits would ensue so
We got the hell out of there
Before there was more damage done

Then I started working for this guy
Who was a war veteran and he also was
The manager of a factory that produces
Devices than can turn matter into paper
And that was kind of a cool job but the
Supervisor was intimidating but very fair
And the owner likes to visit the factory
In his private helicopter

Then I decided it was time to get
Away from that employer because
They were better at making beer than paper anyway
And I was not tasting any of the beer but
They did shared their profits
And I thank the veteran for being tough and fair
Shook his hand and walked away

Then I started playing with words
And I liked that very much
So I got employment turning words
Into symbols that meant something different
But this is essentially the same thing

RESONANCIA

El canto
De las sirenas
Es un aullido cifrado
Dice ¡wow!
¡Que chingón!
Porque la muerte
Está cerca

Y anda bailando

TRANSICIÓN

Entre la puerta
Y el guardafango
Hay una línea oscura
Allí se escondió la araña

FRANK GATES COMPANIES INC.

Do you leave the gates
Open or closed?
You should know
Gates are meant
To be open
Because they can’t be closed
All of the time
Only part of the time

And then it changes
It opens and then
It closes and then
It opens again

So tell me….
What is it going to be?
Open?
Or
Closed?

Oh Frank I wonder
If we can be friends
I wonder if you know
How to dance

Frank… Frankie… that’s it
Frankie goes to Hollywood
Is that you?

I saw a picture
Of a man or a woman
I could not tell
Climbing a mountain top
But it seemed to me
The climber was falling

With the red helmet
And the red jacket
And that red hand
Grasping desperately
To dear life

Red like blood
Blood of all those
Workingmen and workingwomen
So much blood
And all of the sudden
The higher ground became so
Very slippery

All that life spilled on
Operating rooms
And job sites
All that nutritional blood
That feeds vampires like you

You who die easy
With silver pens
And silver poems
With silver metaphors
And silver wings
With silver prayers
With those silver chalices

We have a date tomorrow
And you say:
Higher savings
Higher service
Higher ground

And I say:
You are freefalling
Form that summit
You built from
The ground up
With broken dreams
Shattered lives
And the sufferings
Of organic souls

TJ HAIKU

Tú sabes
Cómo corre
El agua

WORK DAY

I consider cornstarch
White & powdery
Next to me
A bulgur man
Writes on
Paper made
Of flowers

CAR WASH

Such a nice car
Always running
At high temperatures
When I drove it
It was like
Sitting in the sun
It burned a lot
Of bad people
Volatile little convertible
And it got soiled
By dirty hands
And the best way
To clean it
Is with
Maple syrup grade B
Cayenne pepper
And water
Clean refreshing water

2 OLD LADIES & 1 OLD—TIMER

Gluten free crackers
Are vulnerable
To matzaball sauce

But the
Veteran of life
Erased the threat
With 1 grit

He was able
To open 2 cars
1 was blue
The other 1
Was white

The little nice
Old lady
Told me where
I can find
Access to gold
Is well hidden
On the shelves
And it’s invisible

KAMUT

This ancient grain
Was discovered
In Pharaoh’s tomb
And it’s alive
Germinating in the
Corridors of commerce
It just takes
1 cup
In a jar
And the proteins
And vitamins
Will multiply
Like they do
In Egypt

SALT FACE

It was a bathhouse
With a lack of protein
A farm of people
Biting into bottles
Healthy & naturally delicious
It was the vanilla
Of the world
Pollen of souls
With pillows of grain

MARRIAGE

To my sister and brother
Luisa & Chad

Marriage changes all things
Forever
Godly alliance
In flesh & blood
Supernatural strength
Of families that
Grow in the
Tree of existence
Unerasable miracle
That transforms
The souls of many
That makes 2 nations
Become 1
An invincible 1
Because love
Affects all things
In the universe
And even the angels
Are struck with awe
Because they know
They can’t taste
The flavors of matrimony
No matter what you do
You can’t ever
Destroy marriage

You can only alter it
It would be
Like trying to erase the sun
Like trying to
Obliterate the
Waters of
The 7 seas
Marriage conquers
Many wars
The obstacles in marriage
Are pieces of food
Along the way
That make you healthy
That make you stronger

AMERICAN EXPRESS

I always thought
You were a pistol
You know
The never leave
Home without it
Propaganda slogan
I believed it
But it turns out
That your ammo
Is cash
Cartridges of usury
It’s okay
I guess
But it be nice
If you forgave
The debt of
Hard working people
We use to be friends
But now we are
Comical adversaries
What a green circus
And you want
Green money
And I will not
Give you
My green blood
Go ahead
Try to keep fishing
And I will
Continue hunting
You see
I have joined
The ranks of

The working poor
Never in my life
Have I work so hard
For so little money
If you want to
Cast you net
Make sure
You have a strong 1
Because I have
Scissors & knives
And I know
How to use them

A GAME?

Who would think
The store
Would become
A game board
And that
The nights & rooks
Would be killed
By pawns
The queen has
Grown fins
And remains smiling
The bishops
Cry and pray
The king has become
A mate

DISCOVERIES

I found Ginger
Hiding behind
A new—man
And she said
To me
I am you
And I took her
And helped her
Back to her place
Then I found
A delicate Chinese cup
Hiding behind Pamela
She has pretty colors
Blue & green
And I also helped her
Back to her place
She said something to me
But a couldn’t understand her
But I suspect
It was some type
Of tanka or maybe
Even a haiku
And behind
The blue diamonds
I found this Beautiful
Cinnamon—like Italian
Her name
Matilde Vicenzi
She was so pretty
I didn’t want
To let her go

EL PROFETA

El tiempo
No se detiene
Mi querido abuelo
Sí lo podía detener
Y lo almacenaba
Dentro de una botella

Nos decía
Con una sonrisa
Que era agua bendita

Y derramaba
Un poco del contenido
A través del barandal
De su balcón
Para los perros
Que se congregaban abajo
Refugiándose de los
Rayos ultravioleta

Y mi hermano
Y yo
Entonábamos carcajadas
Nos comunicábamos
Con sonrisas
Sin dientes
Como la de él

Nuestros dientes
De leche
Siempre fueron
Dispositivos
De felicidad
Números escritos
Con el puño y letra
De Dios

Sí
Mi abuelo
Sabía detener
El tiempo

SYMBOL

An open door
Might not be
A gesture
That welcomes
It could be the
Mouth of a sepulcher
A feast
Of indigestion

INSPECTOR BLANCHARD
HE SAID HE WAS THE SUPERVISOR

Carta Blanca
Is a Mexican beer
That goes best
With cigarettes

I am sorry
If I flicked
My ashes on you
I didn’t mean
To do it

It’s not that
I wasn’t thinking
It’s just that
I hardly ever
Have Carta Blancas

You were standing there
Under the HOT sun
Looking at all
That traffic
But that’s how
The border is

Maybe you should
Have a cold one

Come on man
Take it as compliment
Good writers
Add ashes
To their beverages
For courage

I will think of you
Real hard
I promise
Next time I
Have a cold drink

FROZEN BUG

A customer
Told me
There was
A dead bug
Inside the
Ice—cream case
But it was
Not dead
Only frozen
I informed
The person in charge
And hoped
And prayed
That he would
Get some light
Into what it is
And how to
Dispose of it
But it would take
A miracle
And it
Never came
Because there
Is no good faith

DARING

A girl
From next door
(The blue store)
Came to our case
And bought a lot
Of huevos
From our store
The next day
I saw an
Albertson’s car
In full use
Inside Henry’s

EXCHANGE OF WORDS

The lady
In black
Walked slowly
Through my aisle
Hello how are you?
I greeted her
She answered
I am pretty decent
And it looks
Like you are too

EMPLOYER & EMPLOYEE

Come on!
Look man
I am not
An exterminator
You pay me
To clean the dust
And the dirt
In your joint
And that is
What I do
Since I am
A courteous man
I had gotten
Rid of some bugs
For you
But this will stop
Because working outside
Is not
Working things out

¿QUESTION MARKS?

He asked me
What kind
Of bugs
I had found
I did not
Want to scare him
After all
He’s still
The owner
I did not want
To tell him
That those are
The 1’s
That reproduce
Themselves
That they
Can survive
A nuclear explosion
I did not have
The heart
To tell him
They were planted
That they arrived
Inside a can

THE ARC

The man on
The presidential ship
Has ordered
1 case of
Russian dressing
He knows
There’s nothing
More slippery
Than a jar
On resurrection day
This church
Floats on
The waters
Of salvation

CHERRIES

Cherries in
A bag
Each of them
Is holy
Tainted red
They all look
Like beautiful
Santo Domingo
Every one of them
Is a sunny day

SMALL TALK ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS

Grape—seed
Helps with
The inflammation
Of language
I am 50
She said
You look 30
I replied
Well thank you
I think
I’ll take
You home

THE WOMAN WITH THE FLOWER DRESS

Any of you
Speak English?
I looked up
And saw a lady
I wanted to
Get away from
My coworkers
So I said I do
She was wearing
A dress of summer
And she held
1 key with 2 fingers
She asked me
I would
Help her open
Her car
I stood up from the bench
And walked
Towards her
I can’t open the door
She said
I told her
I would be gad to help
She smiled and added
Maybe you have the magic touch
I took the key form her hand
And we both walked
Towards her automobile
Away form
The smoking area
Under the tree
Her car was
A midsize white sedan
I placed my cup of coffee
On the hot pavement
And inserted the key
Turned it both ways
As I pulled
On the door handle
And the door opened
Thank you
She said with a
Maternal smile
How did you do it?
You just need
To play with it
But be gentle
She said God bless you
And then she drove away

THE CLOCK

To Salvador Dalí

Señor Dalí
If only
You could see this
I have found
One of
Your clocks
It hangs above
The exit door
Inside that
Organic store
In Chula Vista
It looks like
A spiritual perspective
It follows
Hispanic time
It makes this market
Even more surreal
I wish you could
Contemplate this place
It looks like
One of your paintings
You see
I was given
A hot bowl
Of soup
It had spice
And I didn’t
Know it
So I added
More spices
And ate
From it
And the aftermath
Created traffic
Under a bright
Hot sun
And it was
Slow
Slow
So very
Slow
You always
Believed your work
Should be
For royalty
And I know
You can see
What I am
Talking about
From that place
Where you stand

THE DOCTOR

When I was a child
I remember visiting
My friend’s house
I would find their dad
A physician
Watching cartoons
With his children
They liked
Popeye the sailor man
They would have
So much fun
Adults would mock the doctor
For enjoying caricatures
I saw him & his wife
At the store
The other day
He walked a little bit slower
He seemed a little bit tired
I wanted to thank him
For helping me
Wit my accident
I wanted to tell him
That I also watch cartoons
With my children
But I just said hello
I decided to use only
Good manners

BELLY BUTTON

Along time ago
A young
Blond woman
Showed me
Her pierced navel
Outside the store
Today a middle-aged
Blond woman
With lost of cleavage
Lifted her blouse
To show me her
Pierced umbilicus
Inside the store

ESO—ES

The whole store
Dances under
The electric lights

THE CALL

They came
To the bench
Under the tree
The place of
Tobacco mist
1, you have a call
It’s an emergency
I walked fast
Towards the telephone
I found 2 mermaids
One was
Clapping her hands
The other said
It was Miss America
And she wants a date

FIRE DEPARTMENT

The firemen
Are inside
The store
They’re shopping
And talking

With mobile phones
While the place
Is burning

THE COOK

She asked me
To help her look
For pasta with a heart
We both searched
A galaxy of branded names
They were inside
Plastic bags
I want to help her
Find that organ
It will make
A good supper

CHINESE PROVERB

A bird does not sing
Because it has an answer
It sings because it has a song

IT CUTS THE TAIL OFF THE WEEKEND

I saw an
All American home
Taken away
Driven away
With expensive oil
The bottle
Of wine exploded
Spilling red
Up on the floor
Shattered pieces
Of sand
Sailed on
The wet linoleum
It’s just
A brown mix
A fat free product
The instructions
Say to add water

RON,

Importance is
At the end
Of the week
The negotiations
With your managers
And your HR lady
Have been fruitless
So I write to you
And ask you
To consider
The situation
After all
You are a family man
Like I am
You are a working man
The same as I
Let us work it out
Sincerely
1

DEMAND

The lady
In black
Insists on
Arabic products

TITLE

The scribe
Is unrelenting
He encourages me
To submit
My book
To the publishers
I think
I’ll call it
“The Store”

SUNDAYS

The fire
Is love
A day
Of the sun
It brings warmth
To the heart
When we
Work against it
It burns
The tissues
Of enterprise

caldo de pollo

las palabras son puentes

como leche de cabra

gallinas en palanque

sin galleros

el sonido del mar

entona canciones populares

y casi puedo jurar

que la vida tiene más sabor

la clienta me dijo

que lo pusiera en venta

porque la fecha

de caudicación

está próxima

se vence en septiembre

del 06

WATERS!

You can float
On salt water
Sweet waters
Are treacherous

4 of us
Tried to swam
Across a river
The woman swimming
Next to me
Fell behind

I was not able
To save her
1 of my friends
Rescued her

¡AGUAS!

A veces
El agua dulce
Es más peligrosa
No sucede así
Con el agua salada
Porque en el mar flotas

Éramos 4
Los que intentábamos
Cruzar el río
La mujer que
Nadaba a mi lado
Se quedó atrás
Y yo no
Pude salvarla

Pero 1
De mis amigos
La rescató

NEWSPAPER

The man on
The bench
Shows me
His papers
He says he’s
Waiting to
Go inside the office
Just news
Bad news

COMPRADODRES

los clientes
en busca de semillas
unos las piden
para sembrar
y las hay:
de mostaza
de cilantro
de amapola
dentro de bolsas
de plástico
están colgadas
como adornos navideños
en vísperas
de verano

HEATSTROKE

Climate changes
Affect all things
Dirty cans
Become dirt free

Pico de Gallo
When added
To a fruit cocktail
Ignites an explosion
Of Californian tongues

The Cockroaches
Are hiding
Inside the log

A ghost
Knocked down
The bottles
Of oil

The man
With the tank
By his side
Gave me
Health instructions

Ginger….
Ginger…
Ginger…
I can feel you
But I can’t see you
Are you bilingual?

Palmas turned
To salsa
And this market
Sells no batteries

All this energy
Can’t be collected

A GREEN POEM

Is not good
To have green
In your mind
When it grows
It makes you
Push the wrong people
When this happens
It is time
To cut the
Green grass
Out of your system
To cut it away
From your neighbors

WORKING WITH HEART

Gabriela has found
A mix that cracks
And day dreams
Under the clouds

Then a hello
With a sugar face
Comes sailing
Through the corridor

Zé—Molina
Is a hidden flower
A pine fall
Crushed an apple

The express lanes
Are closed
2 seedless watermelons
From Mexico
Appeared in my cart

The steady
Cooling mist
Is not quenching
The fire

I was asked
For a drink
That insures
But there’s none
On the shelves

I pray
For celestial flavors

MAR—MITES

Now the

Sea of eyes
Focus on
Goat’s milk
&
The clipboard
Becomes
A boiling potato

ARINA

Una flor
De arroz blanco
Investigación
De dulces
Una raíz en aire
La tienda
Está en el centro
De un
Triángulo amarillo

T SHIRTS

I was given
The garment
It comes with apples
Oranges & wheat

On the other hand
I have purchase
On credit
Two AAA
100% cotton
Made in Mexico
Of USA fabric
With a clean slate

Kale like spinach
Is followed
For health

Coconut water
Gives surgeries
To rock stars

But in the
Navy of Eden
A girl & a boy
Eat a hot meal

GOING HOME

The horsemen
Are eating radishes

I know the blood they spill
Fills many
Organic bottles

It makes me feel
Like selling my poems
To the highest bidder
And going back
To Mexico

Ezekiel’s bread
Has no preservatives
So it’s kept in the freezer

I can’t find
Kosher salt

The Codo Grande
Becomes a Codito

The market is burning
The fire department
Can not see
Invisible flames

I asked for rain
But instead
The impurities
Are being treated
With fire

PERISCOPE CANTO

I see
Italian oil
In metal containers
Love holds fast to them
Like paint
I see processed honeys
Displayed to the market
Waiting for
Brave customers
I see
Sweet & tangy
Yellow bottles
I see
A tattooed man
On the hunt
For Ruda
I have found
A Dynasty
Of mushrooms

FARAÓN AND HIS INGREDIENTS

I found them everywhere
They are
Small and red
Black and pinto
Extra long grain rice
Extra fancy
Black eye peas
Garbanzos with
Red kidneys
White corn
With Nacho Cheese
And spicy jalapeños
I looked for the man
That can kill giants
With 1 stone
But he closed his door
On me
A pink lady
Told me:
“He has too much on his plate”

CHOKING ARTERIES

They approach me
And ask
For the Quaker man
The man of Oats
The one that
Turns everything
Into a meal
They come
Armed with
Checks of rain
And the mutants
Ask for
Unsalted foods
But I can’t
Take my mind off
The salt of the earth
I have been given
A list
Of mermaids
The ones in
The front lines
The witch doctor said:
Sun dried tomatoes
Taste very good
With artichoke hearts

EN ESPECIAL

en chula vista
se venden
las papas
más baratas

RON COHN INC.

I never seen
So much business
In a grocery store
So many accidents
People running over
Each other
So much hunger
For returns
The clients
Walk like zombies
Looking for
Poppy Seed products
There’s much Traffic

SOY LECHE

Soy del occidente
También del oriente
Soy del norte
Y soy del sur
Soy una almendra
Sin azúcar
Soy vainilla
Con vitamina D
Soy orgánico
Soy de cabra
Pero no soy cabrón
Soy lite
Y soy una
Fortificación de proteínas
Soy un sueño
De chocolate
Soy la perla de junio
Soy del Edén
Soy de vida
Y soy ultra sencillo
Soy de ceda
Y soy azul
Soy verde
Soy blanco
Soy rojo
Soy negro
Soy amarillo
Soy café
Soy púrpura

“Yo le canto a los saldados de la tierra, los que empuñan la bandera con honor”

Los Tigres del Norte

A GUITAR & A NEW SONG

1
Your kiss flows
Grander than
The Niagara Falls

2
Living streams
From the mountaintops
Purify transgressions

3
They will clean
The wounds
Of the children
Of many languages

4
Lord almighty!
I will not forsake
Your teachings
I will continue
To do what is good

5
Protect the innocent
Bystanders
May your cleansing
Be like
The ocean breeze
And not like the desert sun

5
Glory be
To God
For all things

6
Give me
A new song
And make my guitar
Like a harp

7
May its music
Straighten
the infirmities
of my friends
And my foes

8
May each chord
Bring healing water
May each strum
Brings disinfection
To the operation table

9
May it bring
Victory
And peace

10
May there
Be dancing
In the rain

11
May the tempo
And its rhythm
Be deciphered
In a melodic miracle

LAS BOLSAS

las que sostienen
los frutos de la tierra
no resisten la presión
del tesoro
que custodian
esas hermosas
frutas y verduras
legumbres y vegetales
sucumben ante los
defectos de fabricación
ante las leyes de gravedad
fue una mala idea
emplear plástico
ruedan por el piso

en un mercado de miedo

SOLILOQUIO DEL TRIGO

siento mucho
que nuestras realidades
sean como rocas ásperas
ya no son
lisas ni bellas
como en el principio
que pena
que las baterías de nuestra respiración
se estén descargando
que lamento
tan más proletario
y pensar que
los pequeño burgueses
creen que los psiquiatras
pueden solucionar
los achaques
del corazón
por mi parte
intento no pederte
así como me aferro
a mi idioma natal
bautizado en un caló orgánico
que se reproduce
en los vocablos
de los escolares
más sinceros
a mi alrededor
todo está cambiando
quizá es la cercanía
de la muerte
o un chantaje
de la memoria
se me olvidó
como hacer el amor
en tu idioma
y creo que esto amerita
las lagrimas más agridulces
estancadas en la
cisterna de mi alma

SOLILOQUIO DEL MAÍZ

me gusta amarte
porque te conozco toda
tus cualidades
y debilidades
tú eres un mapa
sobre mi mesa
puedo ver
todas tus zonas
y esto me hace
quererte con más fuerza

THE REFRIGERATOR

There used to be
A refrigerator
In the break—room
It kept food
Safe and cold
That cool storage unit
Was taken away
By The Management
The charge was:
“It was not kept clean”
The guys running the show
Never understood
The whole business
Needs to be disinfected
So now the workers
Place their food
In an even smaller box
And try to
Kill any bacteria
With microwaves
They appeal
To radiation
Now it is hot
And dangerous
To the tissues
Of industry

ICE—CREAM

Today it was
Good reality
Better than
Good liquor
Its sweetness
Brings forth
Your potential
Delicious possibility
Sitting next to me
Your friendship
Is not cold
To my mouth
My taste buds
Study the ramifications
Of your exquisiteness
Your image is
In my iris
I eat from
Your spoon
This is better
Than an aperitif

THE SOLDIER

I was walking
I don’t remember
Why I wasn’t
Driving a cross the border
Don’t remember
What happened to my car
I waited in line
Amongst drunk tourists
And elderly travelers
Single mothers
And their
Charismatic infants
We were standing
Next to a sign
That informed us
About the
Surveillance cameras
And we waited
Our turn
To be questioned
We have our
Passports and cards
And id’s
And birth—certificates
In our hands
It must have been
In the late 80’s
Or early 90’s
The time period that is
Not the temperature
It wasn’t that hot
Back then
I watched as people
Put their bags
On the conveyer belt
To be x—rayed
Customs and immigration agents
Looked at documents
And repeated questions
When it was my turn
I smiled at the inspector
And handed him my card
He frowned
Threw at me a dirty look
And yelled
National Guard!
Then he pointed towards
A young fellow
Wearing fatigues
Who was searching luggage
I felt betrayed
I felt a knot in my stomach
I felt like a prisoner
Of war
Even though I wasn’t at war
With anyone
The guy in camo
Finished his inspection
He looked like
A musician
He was about my age
And I thought
He probably played
Bass guitar
With a lot of feeling
Drums with an
Exceptional touch
Of rhythm
Or maybe like
Lenny Kravitz
He played all
The instruments
So I just stood there
Trying not to
Look him in the eye
I didn’t say anything
He didn’t say anything
But he had a peaceful
Look in his face
After a moment of silence
I decided to ask him
“What about me?”
“What about you?”
He replied
I waved him goodbye
He waved back
He was cool
Way cooler than
La migra and
The border patrol

IRONY

As I
Make love
To you
Somebody is
Getting shot
As I
Penetrate you
Someone
Bleeds to death
If we have
Another sun
I will name him
After them

ENERGÍA

La danza del venado
O la del perrito
La de la tortuga
O los pingüinos
La de las lágrimas
Y sonrisas
O carcajadas
Todo da igual
Todo es lo mismo
Es un zapateado
Y el significado de
Danzar o bailar
O tirar patadas
O brincar
Sollozar o alegrarse
Es similar
Se hace
Con la
Misma energía
Y de la misma forma
Nos cansamos

A POEM TO THE SD READER

Don’t take out
The poetry
It is the better
Part of you
San Diego
Needs poesy
That medicine
That helps keep
The balance
Of wellbeing
A border town
Without poetics
Becomes ill

Canción popular

Allá en la fuente había un chorrito se hacía grandote se hacía chiquito. Estaba de mal humor, pobre chorrito tenía calor.


MOVEMENT

The water
Becomes blue
The international constructers
Building the bridge
To the marketplace
Have finished
Their handiwork
And the angels
Keep flying
Making circles
Around the sun

PROXIMITY

There’s a giant ship
Coming to shore
From international oceans
It has many beds
For weary minds
It’s a hospital
An immaculate cathedral
Its antennas
Can not be stolen
Fortress of the sea
Protectorate of
Mistreated children
Those brave
Innocent captains
Working on
Emerald waters

THE MEXICAN CASE

A case full
Of friendship
A diplomatic case
A case that creates fellowship
Where there was none

A naturalized case
And organic gift
That heals the
Wounds of the people

A case that will
Illuminate the
Households that
Are in darkness

A case of an
Antenna & a radio
On the rooftop
Where families can transmit
Friendly messages

A case that will
Stop the morning coldness
Because it is insurance
For hardworking people

A case that will
Make Sundays
Sunny Days

A case that
Will create medicine

A case that will
Bring families together

A case that
Brings protection
From the elements

A case that
Can beat
The watch

A case necessary
For peace

DEOGRACIAS

Thank God!
There are
Still good people
Walking the
Straight líneA

MAYDAY

The day belongs to us
It doesn’t matter if it rains
The sun always exists
That floating sphere of fire
Vitamins for the universe
Warming the hearts
Of our people
Our prayers
Are being answered
We are the pilgrims
Of the world
The ultraviolet rays
Have given us
Flesh of bronze
They have purified us
We have gained
Hearts of gold
Our songs
Are not dead
The poetry of our lives
Is beating
In the eardrums
Of our adversaries

BAJA WIRELESS BOYCOTT

I paid you
For my antenna
Give it back
You are in Mexico
Don’t steal from
The people
That support you
Don’t come here
To take advantage
Of the poor
Be honest
Be fair

ANGELA JOY

A counterfeit
First name
Wingless so it can’t fly
With its
Blasphemous surname
Even Frankenstein
Has more soul

Angels speak Spanish
This aberration does not
It has witchcraft for gender

Even a cucaracha has
Its God given charisma
You are graceless

Angels don’t smoke dope
And you do

I speak to you
Piece of excrement
Get the fuck out
Of the land of the sun

Stop hurting the innocent
Sons and daughters
The people of
The eagle that devours
The snake

You are the serpent
And we are the children
Of the Eagle

We are in our homeland
You are and invader
And I will make you
Swallow dirt
With your lies
And I will sent you back
To your madhouse

Viva la raza!
A traitor has been found!