This Is Just To Say

(homage to william carlos williams)

I have taken
the cold

kosher plums
that were

in the icebox
and given them

to your
exterminator

Manifestation Along The South Texas Border

red wheelbarrow
viciously attacked

and
dismantled

in
the rain

by the
white chickens

with
glazed eyes

Chamaco Sailed The  Ocean Brown

Chamaco crossed the sea
and slaughtered the Europeans

made the land
his own

and later took pride
in declaring

that he was
one quarter European

that one of his ancestors
was a European princess

Wrinkle In Time

And here's the wrinkle
Chamaco was Shirley Temple's dimple

Chamaco fought the law
and the law run

Deserts and rivers
sang like Johnny Rivers

Chamaco's dark looks
reminded us of Katy Jurado

The sun was Mexican
by all accounts

Chamaco's art
tuff like Humphrey Bogart

Chamaco was a Martian
" Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!"

Chamaco wrote a love song
for the wrong cabrona

Chamaco had a way with words
which no one heard

River Death

The Border Patrol agent
stood over the body.

The Rio Bravo
ignores it all.

The Rio Grande
don't give a damn.

Chamaco has died
a thousand times before.

Chamaco can't swim
but he loves that dirty river.

Chamaco's soul
spells trouble.

Chamaco's mind
swells double.

Chamaco's dying
to die another day.

Abuela's Song

Chamaco remembers abuela
digging in the garden

breaking up the soil
like a jealous lover

breaks up a friendship
to keep the girl

all to himself
and when the garden blooms

there's no one to blame
but abuela

and now that
she's long gone

Chamaco feels abuela
digging up his verse

and he knows full well
that he is not to blame

for whatever flowers
in his songs

La Chapparita

The Mexican girl was so short
she wore stilts to tower over us

we looked up her dress
to see our past

which came loose
and fell on our faces

the taste of it was ancient
older than the Big Bang

and as she walked away
all we could think of was

"this will not work!"
but La Chapparita had no doubts

and when her daughters worn born
they grew into the tallest Mexican girls

the world
had ever seen