Sunday, December 29, 2013

THE LONG BAR (1984)

ten at night.
six or eight of us
piled into a cab
at the san diego
border and headed
to T.J.
the cab was out 
of space, so 
I splayed myself
across the laps
of my posse
as some Culture Club song
played on the shitty
FM radio. we broke
Mexican traffic laws 
all the way to
Revolucion Avenue.

Near eleven, we
walked
the crowded streets
smelled the meat
cooking on the grills
of the taco carts
drank and laughed
in the shithole
bars along the main drag

Just after midnight, as we ventured
back to our own world,
I hooted at the five dollar 
ceramic frogs that sat
like bloated guards 
by the border fence 
and I stared half-drunk 
at the five year olds
who sold the tourists Chiclets
in the exhaust clouds of
the taxi lines.

Moments later, back in
the states,
I remember that
one blonde's arms
around my waist
as we walked to our cars
and as the black
shadows below us
inched
their way across
the darkened arroyo.

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