handle

The officer
had his baton
out.

his
hand griped on the handle,
his arm ready
to swing at my mom.

She was just  being dropped off
in front of her home.

They pulled the car
over,
because it
was old,
because
they were
three Latina women
because illegal's drive old cars.
because Latino's are illegal's
-but
mostly because they can.

my mother is
an older woman,
often
complains
of her
arthritis and walks a little slower
every year
a senior citizen
but more importantly and American citizen.


She stood up tall.
afraid.

it hasn't been the first time
police have
threatened to hurt her.

She stood up tall
afraid.

She stared down
the officer telling him
he was being ridiculous.

big Anglo man, with a
baton in his hand,
threatening to hurt an old lady.

he was ridiculous.
he put his baton away.

She handled it with pride
She handled it with dignity.

She
had
handled it.


08'

pass the cream

It was a boring
dream
except for the fact that
we were
living together.

Me living with you.
Of all people...

you are
my favorite lesbian,
and
an old friend
and I genuinely have loved you.

But,
I found it odd that
we
were
roommates, like an old married couple,
passing the cream
passing the sugar
changing the channel on
T.V.

You were a radical,
liberal,
sexual and
a poet.
tempting young boys
to build you temples.

you
were
the queen of Bohemia.

You approached me.

In the dream we were
boring,
normal,
and quite.

It was just a dream,
but all the
same
Thank god
you are now a lesbian,
and
I'm a man.



08'

phone buddies

with regards
to
my phone.

it is not
that i
have a bad connection,
or have trouble
connecting.
or
failed to
connect

it is not
the absence of
those
bars that
appear on it's screen
they are there,
those
bars,
all of them.

and
even if did believe that
texting
is the
decline of the
english/spanglish
language

i'm not
against
pre
marital or casual text.

No, there is nothing wrong with my phone
per se.

it is just
when it rings
and
your name pops
up,
i will have to make the choice...

whether to become
just
another number.


08

riding around cars with dangerous boys

Hey,
Look at you,
miss
thrill seeker,
riding
in cars
with dangerous boys
down ventura blvd.
looking for Mexican food.

Welcome to
los angeles,

havin
good times
on
someone elses dime
commiting
small crimes.

sluming it

playin hooky.
and
dodging
responsibility.
with not much time
before the sun goes down.

lookin for thrills,
with no money down
and half a tank.

you
riding in cars with
dangerous boys,
starin down cops,
makin boys cry.

taking time to
slum it
gettin your hands
dirty

you
riding around
with me.

08'