ASHTRAY


The cowboys hats moved up & down. Their drunken owners dancing to Norteño Corridos. Their wives, lovers, or girlfriends, were shaken across the dance floor like worn puppets. The Band was good. Indian looking fellows played with a lot of feeling. The accordion sounded great. Superb funeral music. Since I don’t like to dance just for fun I sat at the bar and tried to write my way out of a dilemma. Nothing in particular, I just like to think in those terms when I am writing. I like to think I am solving some kind of problem. I looked towards my right and I saw a goofy guy standing to close for comfort.

“What do you want?” I asked.
“An ashtray”
“Where are you from?”
“Iran”
“Sorry I don’t smoke”
“I need an ashtray”
“Why don’t you get it from the waiter”
“Passed me that ashtray” he pointed to a black ashtray next to me.
“Aren’t you Muslim?”
“Yes”
“I thought Mulsims did not do booze, look at you, you’re all fucked up… not that I care, we Catholics are allowed to enjoy good liquor. I just don’t have your ashtray”
“Ashtray….”
“You know, when I used to smoke, I used to smoke Camels”

The smiley Iranian stopped smiling and walked away.
Ashes… I have been around ashes all my life. It’s just too much.
I also got up walked outside of bar and I could feel the ocean’s breeze and it felt good. I looked at the lights of the nearby boats that pierced the darkness and I wished them good luck.

AT THE BORDER CHECKPOINT


“What’s in the suitcases?”
“A whole lot of love”
I did not say that because Led Zeppelin was playing on the radio. I said it because it was true.
“Love uh?”
“Yes, you want me to show you?”
“No! Don’t open them! You can go now.
And we were inside America just like that.



PORTABLE LOVE


Love
Can be concealed
Inside a suitcase
Or inside a sub─heart

Love
Keeps you warm
When it is cold
And it keeps you cool
When you are in hell

Always pray for love
Because love is water
And just like water
Love can hurt
Or even kill you

Love
Is a being
That’s always
Changing colors

Love fits everywhere!

Love is hated
In an awful
Lot of places
Love tastes good

Love looks good
So good that
You feel fire
Seizing your spine

Love
Is before the big bang!

Love
Will be
The brightness
Of the end

BORDER CROSSING BY FOOT

“Give me your wallet!”
I handed the migra my wallet as he held my border─crossing card.
“And what about you?”
The migra asked my companion.
“I am with him.”
“Citizenship?”
“American.”
Answered my lovely escort.
“You 2 come with me.”
The migra instructed us to follow him. He took us to an office on the side of the building. There we found a Midwestern looking fellow with his boots on a metal desk. His neck was red.
“This is the girlfriend”
Our guard retorted.
“Fiancée” I corrected.
“Leave them here, I’ll deal with them”
Said the migra on the desk. The first migra left the room and closed the door. I felt the pressure of claustrophobia beginning to take a hold of both of us.
“I don’t have any money” I said
“Shut up” He said.
“Fuck you” I softly replied.
“What?”
“Nothing”
The migra got up with his baton on his right hand and advanced towards me.
“No, please officer” Said my partner with tears in her blue eyes.
“Look what you did you stupid brute. She’s pregnant” I said.
“Sit down you motherfucker!”
The migra yelled as he held his baton over my head. I winced and then sat down on a metal chair.
“Stay here and don’t move!” ordered the redneck as he walked out the room and slammed the metal door.
“I am scared” she said sobbing.
“Don ‘t be afraid, come here and sit next to me”
“What’s going to happen?”
“They’re going to let us go”
“How do you know?”
“Because we haven’t committed any crimes and you are American, young, beautiful, and extremely attractive. Good qualities for a witness to have”
“We are in trouble”
“No, this is almost over”
“I don’t feel good”
“Breath in…. breathe out…”
The door opened and a gentle looking, grandpa─type, churchgoing─brand of migra entered the room and gave us our documents.
“Okay kids you can go”
“You see, we can go… thank you sir”
“All right goodbye” said the older migra with a tired voice.
“Thank you sir” She said.
“Okay, okay… bye bye” He said.
“Let’s go” I said
And we walked away and entered California and passed the fast food restaurants and I checked to see that there were no more tears in her lovely eyes and we kept walking. And the sun was making her red hair change in color intensity.
“You know?” she said.
“What?”
“We should get a bomb”
“A bomb?”
“Yes, honey… a bomb”
“Too much damage…. very primitive… very unaesthetic. What we need is a device that helps good people; that inspires and empowers those who are against evil, but at the same time, something that stops the bad folks from causing more damage.
“Juan?” she asked.
“Yes?”
“I love you”
“I love you more”

CLIENTES


"I have an alien implant on my scrotum
It was placed there by a green─woman
She used her tongue to perform the operation"


─ ¿Entonces qué?
─ ¿Qué de qué?
─ ¿No te gusta mija?
─ Sí, está muy bonita.
─ No te tienes que preocupar absolutamente de nada. Yo me encargaré de todos los gastos de la boda.
─ ¿De cuál boda?
─ De su boda─ ¿De la boda de su hija?
─ Sí, de la boda de ustedes, de mija y tú.
─ ¿No cree que nos estamos apresurando demasiado?
─ No, al contrario, creo que estamos perdiendo el tiempo.
─ Pero si ni siquiera la conozco, sólo la he visto una vez , aunque sí es muy hermosa, se ha de parecer a su mamá… quizá ocupemos conocernos más, salir a dar una vuelta a la playa, al cine, a cenar.
─ No digas tonterías, conmigo no vas a jugar.
─ No estoy jugando ni diciendo tonterías…. si estuviera jugando con usted le diría algo como:
“su panza cuelga de la hebilla del cinturón,
la puedo abrir como a un zipper
y sus intestinos caerán en el suelo
y nos ensuciaran los zapatos.”
─ No estés chingando.
─ Usted empezó.
─ ¿Entonces como le vamos hacer?
─ Pues primero creo que tenemos que conocernos. Hace unos momentos, cuando ví a su hija, sus ojos emanaban una mirada tierna y dulce hacia mí. Está es una buena señal. Quizá podamos llegar a entendernos. Ya sabe usted lo complicado que son los misterios del amor.
─ Más vale que esto te de resultado.
─ Señor, recuerde que yo lo estoy ayudando a usted. No usted a mí.
─ No te hagas pendejo. Yo sé que ocupas el trabajo.
─ Recuerde que mi trabajo es hacer lo correcto.
─ Por favor, es que, estoy muy preocupado por ella…
─ No se aflija, tenga fe, recuerde que el dinero no es la solución para todos los problemas.
─ Gracias por ayudarme.
─ De nada señor. Sea paciente. Ya verá que todas las cosas van a salir bien.

PERSECUCIÓN


La patrulla nos perseguía a toda velocidad. Y nosotros nos reímos nerviosamente y fumábamos cigarrillos. Por el espejo retrovisor podía ver el rostro del único policía dentro del vehiculo. El rostro del chofer tenía todos los tintes de avaricia y las manchas de la codicia. Sospecho que por las mismas razones no reportó la persecución. Quizá sabía de lo que estaban repletos los maletines que llevábamos en la cajuela. Y mi chica apuntaba con su M16 y se apoyaba, en parte, en el asiento en que íbamos sentados. Y me preocupé un poco porque sabía que una vez que empezaran las detonaciones el cristal trasero de nuestro vehiculo se destrozaría mandado miles de astillas de vidrio por doquier. También sabía que Rosa contaba con el mejor entrenamiento militar y que no iba a sacar la mitad de su cuerpo por la ventana de su puerta para empezar a disparar.
─ Espera. Pronuncié.
─ ¿Por qué?
─ Porque no quiero que les des en la madre a mis tímpanos.
─ Te dije que me dejaras manejar.
─ ¿Estás loca?
─ No estoy loca, tu sigue manejando y yo me encargo del chota.
─ No, espera si nos detenemos te puedes bajar del carro y te arreglas con él.
─ No, es demasiado tarde, ya me vio apuntando.
─ Bueno por lo menos déjame bajar las ventanas para reducir el….
¡Pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop!
El sonido del .223 invadió el interior del vehiculo, el de nosotros y el del policía también, pero a diferencia de nuestros efectos auditivos, el agente ha de haber escuchado algo similar a un golpeteo metálico antes de partir hacia el más allá. Por mi retrovisor podía ver nuestra ventana desecha y también la patrulla llena de hoyos, detenida en medio de la carretera, quedándose atrás a consecuencia de nuestra velocidad. La del carro y la de Rosa.
─ ¿Éxito? Indagué.
─ Sí.
─ ¿No más chota?
─ No.
─ ¿Segura?
─ Sí, lo convertí en una botella. En un rocío muy colorado.

ESTROBOS


El canto
De las sirenas
Me fascina

Me convierte
En un loco alegre

Es música
Para enamorados

Códigos auditivos
De aventuras accidentadas

Momentos semánticos
Que provocan
El eco de perros

MORNING


She moves
With ethereal motions
Dressed in white
Most of the time

OUTSIDE THE TRAFFIC WAS INTENSIFYING


─ Juan?
─ Yes?
─ Do you have a daughter?
─ Why do you ask?
─ Sometimes when I read you work, I get this feeling, that you have a daughter or daughters.
─ Sometimes I feel the same.
─ Do you?
─ Do I what?
─ Do you have a daughter?
─ The truth of the matter is that there are some girls out there that I care for very much. I feel so much for them that at times I see them as my offspring.
─ Can I be your daughter?
─ You want me to be your Daddy?
─ Yes.
─ You will have to stop smoking dope, and you will have to stop relying on electronic devices to get things done. Learn to trust your intuition, rely more on nature, and put the artificial away. Discover how to do it by your own juices.

WHITETOP


A world is tired
Wheels everywhere
Rubbery equations
Oily products

Touching the roughness
The hardness
The blockage
Of arteries
Chocking the planet

I loaned you
My key
And you sold it back
To me

Beware!
Blacktop
Is fading away

PINTURAS


Pinturas de caballos
Y pintura de cabellos

Paredes
Recipientes verticales
De mezcla y químicos caprichosos

Salpicar
En la cama

Sal y picar
En el mar

Manchas del mundo
El rosa es el óptimo
De los colores prohibidos

Iluminar
Sólo Dios
Y los niños iluminan

Plétora de imitaciones
Venenosas y pegadas entre
El algodón y la piel

¡No pinten el mundo!

Dupont
¿Sabes lo que estás haciendo?

Dios te observa
Los niños también

EL PUENTE


Puente de estiércol
Omen incompleto
Medio de destrucción
Y enfermedad

Puente quemado
Antes de ser terminado

Agente de locura
En mi esquina
De Latinoamérica

Símbolo de nuestros
Enemigos y tiranos
Tenebrosa y macabra
Imagen en la carretera

Puente hacia
La profundidad del caos

Puente de la muerte
Puente de amputaciones
Puente de heces
Puente de males
Puente de quejidos
Puente de pujidos
Puente de aullidos
Puente de pervertidos

Puente del calentamiento
Local y global

Puente de la gran mentira
Puente de dimensiones esquizofrénicas

Puente gris
Pero lo veo como blanco

Puente
De sonrisa animal
Disfraz mercantilista
Antifaz de sufrimiento
Anhelo de espantapájaros

NERVIOSA


You walked
Gently on the sand

I gently speak to you

Don’t believe
The mirror
Believe me

Believe my eyes
When you looked
Into them

When I say
To you
How beautiful
You are

BLOOMING


My beautiful baby
You are doing terrific

Your eyes
Have become
Piercing beacons

Consider sunglasses
To control the effect

When you smile
Try to show
A little more teeth

I pray
You don’t give me
A heart attack

RUNNER


You are
Getting better
By the day

Your face
Is changing

How lovely!

I am falling
In love with
Your profile

AFRICA


A lion kills
His rival
The offspring
Of his rival
And gets to work

THE ART OF TRANSLATION


Guerita
I will translate you
Into Spanish

Love tastes better like this

I will interpret
Every inch of
Your youthful body
Into something
Even greater

It is not
That I have anything
Against English

It is just that
It brings me
Great pleasure
When I try
To make things better

Lovemaking
Sounds better
Like this

SALUD


Una señora
Hace ejercicio
En la playa
Su niña la sigue
Avanzan velozmente
Sobre la arena
Señora de
Boca deliciosa

PREVENCIÓN


El bicicleta
Se puede lastimar
En el verano de la arena

MORNING

Keep jogging
And concentrate
On what makes you
Do this

If you can
Try to smile a little

Your not only
Looking good
You are getting prettier

EL MAR


The sprinter
Keeps exercising
She’s looking good
I am beginning
To feel
Like a proud Papa

The supermodel
Is doing mighty fine
She got extra points
For getting rid of
The clown

She’s pretty
Fit & trim
Ready for
The catwalk

Two concerns
For this beauty queen:

I want to know
If she’s
A good conversationalist
I would like to see
Her killer smile