AFRAID TO PET MY TIGER


Tijuana police think people are afraid of them
Because of their reputation for kidnapping

Tijuana police are afraid
Like everybody else

Afraid like the homeland security

Agents at the border
Afraid like the soldiers on the front lines
Afraid like the housewife with a Beat husband
Afraid like the patient

Who has been given a positive aids test
Afraid like the locking jaws of a pit-bull
Afraid like the keepers of the bomb
Afraid like the senator who boards the airplane
Afraid like folks walking on the beach
Afraid like Wall Street stockbrokers
Afraid like a jet pilot

Who knows he’s on his last flight
Afraid like the senator who is on that flight
Afraid like me just before kissing you
Afraid like the family of the senator
Afraid like me when I am kissing you
Afraid like me when I ejaculate inside of you

Afraid even though we sang ‘no fear’
Clenching our instruments
As the innocent moved on the dance floor
Oblivious to our reality

Afraid like the installer
Afraid to go to Mexico
To eat carne asada

Afraid of the Cross
Afraid to have the Cross as
Your surname because you are protestant

Afraid to speak Spanish
Afraid to speak English
Afraid to speak
Afraid to hold your peace

Always afraid to love
Afraid to hold
Afraid to embrace
Afraid to hit
Afraid to take you down
Afraid to lift you up
Afraid to cry
Afraid to laugh

Afraid to carry
My 45
Afraid not
To carry it
Afraid not be afraid
Afraid to be afraid
Afraid of those who are afraid
Afraid if those who are not afraid
Afraid of ricochet
As I shoot
My cuerno de chivo

I am afraid
She said to me
On the telephone
I am afraid too
I replied
I am afraid
She wrote
On the computer screen
I am afraid too
I wrote back

Afraid…
Afraid…
Afraid…