CUTTING DEAD FISH


Upper class customers
Similar to the ones
Whose pictures are
Being taken by the army
At Mexican checkpoints

They ask for
The skin to come off

Any knife
Will have to do
And I use
Hand armor
Only when provided

A dangerous profession
With a low wage

The store manager
With his leisure boat
And brand new house
A pick up truck
A sports utility vehicle
A Spanish last name
David Arias
But without the Spanish language
¿No habla español?
He doesn’t speak Sundays either
The day of the Lord
The 7th day
The day of the sun

BEHIND THE CASE


I sold
2 spicy
Pieces of swine

To a customer
With the profile
Of an Indian
On his chest

He was happy
He gave me a tip

He placed
The skin
Of a frog
On the counter

CBP AGENT ROMAN
AND OTHER AGENTS


Roman
You are a poet
I like the way
You pronounce the word
“Asshole”

With that accent
Of yours

How much does
The US government pays you
To insult Citizens?

Roman
Do you like your job?
Do you like your name?

I think it sounds
Kind of cool
Kind of like
Roman Meal

Roman
What happened
To the pledge to
The traveler?

Are you trying to
Synthesize it
With just
1 word?

Roman
If I could say
“Asshole”
Better than you can
May I have?
Your job?

By the way
In Spanish
It’s CULERO

Why can’t you be
Like Agent Deogracias
That guy is real nice
Very professional

Roman
What’s the matter
Was it too cold?
Too hot?

Agent Cervantez
What an inspiration
Sort of like
Don Quijote
But in a female version
She wrote about her name
On the
Hunter Orange Slip
She likes her name
Perhaps a little bit too much

Roman
Why don’t you like yours?