A Poem By Emmy Perez

Ysleta, Tejas

Cottonwood crosses
planted in sun-
cracked mud: Inca dove
bones among olla shards.
In this desert, trunks of fruit trees,
crosses without names and all
are washed white. Gypsum.
Lime. Here, dirt is life,
shaped into utensils
and adobes--here, dirt holds
seeds soaked with irrigated
water, hoping to blossom.
Here, when canal water drains
hungry children dig in bottom
sand for crawfish. Dust storms
live in teeth, dreams and eyes.
Loose cotton blows over
empty fields months after harvest
and roosters crow all day.
Every moment is torment
and sunrise.

My mother's home
was a bowl made of clay.
I will perish into finding
all the pieces.

Crossing The Red Sí

El ocho patas was crossing

the Red Sí

when it crashed down

upon his head

as luck would have it

it didn’t hurt

his hard cabeza

but everybody

either sank

or swam like rats

while el pinche pharaoh

hung back with his posse

cursed Moses

and thumbed his nose

at what prose

he knew would be written

meanwhile el ocho patas

propelled by his marvelous eight feet

made it to shore

and lived better than mejor

I Love Lucy

El ocho patas

was scampering

with Lucy

the Hominid

in the Afar Triangle

when they were attacked

by a saber-toothed mole

no pendejo

not Mexican mole

el ocho patas

ran fast as hell

with his abundant feet

of course of course

but La Lucy

was not as fortunate

having succumbed to evolution

and

the rest

as they say
is history

Letterman

Gregorio Sanchez was like any other poor barrio kid. Except that he was born with eight feet. 

And of course the other barrio cabrónes called him El Ocho Patas.

El ocho patas
was a guest

on the final
David Letterman Show

he was doing the
Stupid Pet Tricks segment

but his
pet chupacabra

peed on
the shiny floor

and bit
Letterman on the ass

el ocho patas thought
I'll never

be invited back...
oh, wait a minute

Pimp My Ride

They pimped
el ocho's ride

because his
cucaracha

no quieria caminar
they painted

his carucha
brown

and as he cruised
through town

el ocho
hit the gas

his ocho patas
all over

gas pedal
and clutch

el cabrón never used
the brakes

the radio
blaring

a rock and roll
ranchera

in the great
afuera

In Waco With The Bandidos

In Waco
with the Bandidos

el otro patas
was swinging his machetes

slicing the cachetes
of the Cossacks

and Sarah Palin
could still see Russia

from her porch
as the Waco cops

pulled their shaky
sixshooters

having just had lunch
at Hooters

the biker gangs
went at it

as el ocho patas
made his getaway

hightailed it
to the taco place

and hid his face
behind an Enchilada Plate

while the cops and bikers
dueled at the Breasturant

until everyone
was happy

Green Eggs And Ham

I would not quote
James Wright or son

I would not say
which one was better

only that James
was fatter

and that his son
was madder

one talked
to horses

the other
to horses' asses

one needed glasses
and the other

drank enough of them
I would not quote

James Wright
or son

they spoke their piece
and now they're gone

Saint Ocho

El ocho patas
fought cockroaches

as other
brave pendejos

fought fire-breathing
dragons

a hearty breakfast
of pan queques

and off he goes
to battle

the armies
of the night

and none too soon
el ocho patas aims to make

his people proud
in spite of themselves

Cinco de Mayo

El ocho patas
had a twin

who lived
in Seguin

they never
saw each other

him and
his brother

each had
odd opinions

of how the world
should be

but neither
came to pass

and the world
kept getting worse

the Siamese twins
lived on in separate towns

once joined at the mind
and the behind

el ocho patas
tore himself away

If I Went Back

If I went back
to my home town

and searched
the gravel streets

of my mind
each pebble

would taste of blood
and bits of it

yet render
sweet memories of Carmen

pulling up in front
of abuela's house now gone

time wrapping
its incantations

around what's left of me
and my home town still angry

tangled there
in curly hair

Play Ball

The deputies
gave el ocho patas a hot foot

eight feet on fire
to be exact

and the city of Ballsmore
caught in the inferno

burned to the ground
the National Guard

was brought in
to protect the ashes

el ocho patas recovered
and walked again

the deputies too
lived another day---

the great
American pastime