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