Monday, August 30, 2010

asterisk


at the super store
i asked for turkey ham
the butcher even gave me a sample
and it was good

she placed the meat
on the scale
then wrapped it
and said i would received
a discount at the register

not too long ago
i was on the other side of the counter
cutting meat & fish and sometimes myself

at home
as i made turkey sandwiches
i noticed in the middle of the package
a piece of pork
sliced into an asterisk

i was going to throw to the garbage can
but out of respect
i took a bite
and chewed considering
and knowing
how butchers suffer
so others can eat

Saturday, August 28, 2010

prints


i have walked
alongside footprints before
tiny feet
horse shoes
prints of water
prints of wind

today on the pavement
bloody paws
showed the way
of the narrow sidewalk
leading to a harsh asphalt

outside the fire station
the carcass of a dead rat
smiles at the passing traffic

Friday, August 27, 2010

cabin slowing down


the right numbers
are leveling
the playing field
the radius has duality
visual echos of metal

contacts have diminished
but they have not disappeared
you will never rest-easy again

when we walked towards my mother's house
an elder on the sidewalk
confirmed it was time to eat again
he had food wrapped in a plastic bag
held by his experienced hands
his eyes changed colors
like the stations of the year do

Thursday, August 26, 2010

sport


a suspicious cabin
moves amongst the children

here
touché is more than a sport

somebody
could catch a cold

this is building
holding seeds of adrenalin

a clear & present rain-coat
in the midst of summer

it is just a game of movement
and if you hold still

you can win
since there are no foundations

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

temperature


the cloud is so nitid
hanging from the blue skies
but the the skull
marches steadily
on the concrete

bureaucratic cars
line the street

the electric company
needs a new truck
the one that almost hit us
makes to much noise

the couple
has lunch on the grass
we read in the park

the kids
speed away in a german car
and there's a hot rod
making the rounds

we remembered
we left the stove on
we race home
saying hello to the elders
we find on our way

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

hardware store


the 2 lawyers
were inside
the hardware store

"your case is doing fine"
she said
"thank you"
i said
"there just making corrections with surnames"
"i see"
"but it should be fine"
"i"ll send the number tonight"
i said
"thank you"
she said

it was a surprise to see them there
it was a good idea to hire her
these girls don't only know there law
they also know their hardware
dancing on the countertop


the ants
were on the countertop

perhaps she felt embarrassed
and decided to cast poison
on them

i wondered for a moment
if i wasn't there
would she let them be?

i wanted to tell her
that ants are not dirty
they seldom sting
and that jesus christ likes ants

but it was too late
there was poison everywhere
i guess they were uninvited guests
in her house

i understand these things
she wanted to make a good impression
because i was there
she saw ants
dancing on the counter top
she didn't know i like ants
she kills ants

then i was concerned
with cleanliness
it is dangerous to cook
on a kitchen stained with poison

Monday, August 23, 2010

agosto


agosto died
on agosto street
his own pavement
conspired against him

the summer
took him away
and placed him
in a line
of blessed memory

agosto
was killed
by his own family

they could not
resist the temptation
of the wind

agosto's lifeless body
laid on the street of valor

his dogs
liking at it
then nabbing at it
then biting off
his out of date tissue

i wanted to
kill them dogs

i wanted to
see if agosto's corpse
would turn fragrant

agosto
had the face
of a painted angel
proper for a set of china
or an ad for designer jeans

Friday, August 20, 2010

iron worker


"you don't remember me do you?"
"no, who are you?"
"i worked on your bus when no one else could"

the seventies station wagon
cruised slowly on the boulevard
the guy with my name
was behind the wheel

the iron worker
his brother
my brother & i
were also inside

"go fast like you did the other day"
said the iron worker
"yes, go fast. give it gas"
said his brother

the driver just stared
though the windshield

"yes, go fast!"
i said

but he drove slow
politely & safely
till we got home

Thursday, August 19, 2010

¡te voy a partir la madre!
mi madre is muy difícil de partir...
trust me... i know...

***********************************


2616 calle farallon
playas de tijuana

is a great address
it is a great house

it has 3 stories
the right color
it is green

i think i even saw
some balconies

a red japanese car
gas saver
and grey japanese suv
for off road purposes
equipped with a roof rack

in the garage
there is a vw bug
a bug
that's funny

i want this house
i want this house bad

it could be
just like overton
but sunnier
summery & watery

instead of red wine
we could have
a little bit of tequila
i think they'll appreciate that

2 little girls
were on the garden
so cute
so innocent

all of this is very good

3 floors
one for my kid
the other one for my other kid
the third one
for my baby & i
(yes, yes, you know who you are)
we can help more this way

no need for a big supper
biting raw meet can be painful
and besides
possessions are just
instruments of trade

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

say you are sorry and we’ll call it even


“papá leave him alone”

“you don’t want an apology?”

“leave him alone, it was an accident”

“but i do want an apology”


the engineer

alberto is his name

has a surname that evokes

one revolutionary & one rose


“i don’t think he did it on purpose but i will find a way to punish him”

alberto said

“all I wanted was an apology”

i said


“le cayó una piedra al niño”

“es mi área de trabajo”

“si lo toca otra piedra no te la vas acabar”


all of the sudden

the rocks he was lifting

seemed very heavy

to the point that he could not lift them


“sorry”

said alberto

“you are doing a great job here”

i told him

and then we rode away

BEST FRIENDS STREET


near the ocean
is were i have my best friends

o'neil's house is still there
cruz's sisters live on the same street
the hotel in the corner
la bardita that no longer exists
invisibly remains

there's always room for more friends
friendly dogs that bark and chase
but do not bite
the boys maneuver their bikes just fine

my front tire missed the pair
of the tiny canines
but not the wrath of the owner's son

i wonder if he's a firstborn
he sure can run fast with beach flip flops
his youthful joints
did not seem to be bothered
by the pavements impact

he held a spray can on his hand
and enough resolve to take me on
i had my knife
and my startled kids behind me

i figured i would
get a little red paint on myself
but i would do fine

he's daddy watched from afar

his thorax is well defined
under the black designer t shirt

i would like to see
his strong heart
beating to the pulse of existence
with the rhythm of understanding

i think he can take it
if his daddy raised him well enough
he will do fine

Sunday, August 15, 2010

blanca


the girl with the scar
under the sun
a scar like yours
a scar like mine

living her dream
a dream tossed by others

she also
kicks the ball
like a superstar

the guy on
the balcony of second floor
beer in hand
ocean view in his eyes
calls out for me

¡míralo essse...!

i waived
and waited for him
to come down

thinking i should
ask for a beer
in return for my time

but he wasn't feeling lucky
and he did not came out
through that first floor door

so we proceeded towards the beach
ate & drank
and watched the people
play in the water
play on the sand

the ice cream man
stopped by
and washed his hands
with salty water
and then left

i lifetime
of ice & snow
will drive anyone crazy

we also moved on
ridding our bikes
on the waterfront

Saturday, August 14, 2010

shark cartilage & olive oil


beer with potato ships
then soda
the beer is for me
the soft drink for the kids
we shared the ships

the ocean
with its many creatures
under water
take away the guilt

shark cartilage & olive oil
soothe the conscience
the girl played the soccer match
in an all boy game
she did great

Friday, August 13, 2010

scissors & tape


i cut the the medical tape
strip by strip
arranged side by side
near the forearm

ready to go
fastened the bandages
soaked with antibiotics

this is better than duct tape
or crazy glue
the pain killer works fine

tomorrow will be good
we have plenty of medicine
tons of desire
little packages of energy

Thursday, August 12, 2010

fire everyday


the children
kick the ball
like superstars

while the 2 engines
enter side by side
in the love nest

no need for a chimney here
they see fire every day

the soccer mom
tells me who her children are

and i see my boys playing hard
the ocean is blue
and the sun lands
like a flying saucer

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

opposite directions


grinning in a green car
movements of lips
from across the street

sometimes reading facial muscles
is poetry moving in opposite directions

the helicopter
is flying towards the ocean
it almost collides with a seagull

let's follow it
and take a drive
by the sea

and see how the sun sets
as i think of cars
and time and smalltalk

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

time machine


"how long was the wait today?"
"more than an hour"
"okay"

i drove away thinking about his question
remembering some comments
some years ago
something like:

"hey, you are the guy who keeps time?"

and i said yes
or whatever
or something like that

because i felt like
i was making time
in some stupid time machine
every morning
and every night

Sunday, August 8, 2010

la noche suelta carcajas como baldes de agua fría


in the circle
everybody had their guitars
when it was my turn to play
i thought to myself
i don't need this instrument
i placed it aside
and spoke:

la noche suelta carcajadas
como baldes de agua fría

i wait for you in the limousine
he said
we walked inside the bar
and ordered a cocktail

"are you sure you know what you are doing?"
"yes"
"you should be careful"
"okay"

we walked back
and the limo was not there
then we boarded the old car
and drove away
with my stomach tense
with a smile on my face

Saturday, August 7, 2010

counter


the girl speaks
into a public telephone
she looks apprehensive

i order popcorn
a large soda without ice
behind me a man speaks to his children
he talks about eating in the sky

everybody is stretching
it is summer
and i stretch too

making extensions of nerves
contractions of muscles
nobody i know enjoys cramps
hidden in plastic bags

Thursday, August 5, 2010

couple enters and she's smiling


competition kissing rubber
stretching net awareness of children
codified in small pieces of paper

symbols of infancy
if you place them near your ear
you will hear laughter

stroller pushers
lift up their lips
as if kissing the wind

walkers
walking fast
walking slow
walkers
feeling the sun
in the snow

the woman
and her son
walked inside the shop
she looked at me said

buenas tardes

her accent weathered with nicotine
she addressed the clerk
and ordered black ink

her son stared and the linoleum
as if trying to read his future
on the stains next to his feet

this is not a walk in the park
because i can see
and they are starting to run

and i feel like disintegrating
blending and becoming one
with the synthetic grass
because of this
i know it's time to go

at the taco shop
the owner knocked on wood
as we walked towards our table
then they brought us
carne asada and melted cheese

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

evening drive


happiness on the side of the road is
2 children smiling
with a puppy between them

a dump truck
burping last night's dinner
stopping at the liquor store

i passed her by
her lips are slightly opened

the school bus driver
doesn't look angry anymore
she drives slowly up the hill

a sunset
with the aftertaste of diesel
its windows plastered with dilated eyes
yellow backgrounds


little birds
on a yellow background
hanging from a cable
upside down

they are always unaware
of their duty as ornaments
of their image as dessert

pastries with wings
they are the new economy
collectors items

yellow dye
paint of secrets
opportunistic equilibrium
perfectly centered