11 February 2009

luis cuauhtemoc berriozabal

Gloomy

The sweet birds sing
a tranquil song
on this sad night.
Filled with sorrow

and grief, I weep
like a man who
stares at the sun.
At twilight the

sweet birds also
sing at a more
frenzied pace. Night

seems to darken
their songs. Gloomy,
my gaze fades out.


Always Singing

She is always singing
and shaking her hips.
She is the fussy patient
who is always asking
for her own room. She
turns up her nose when
a new roommate comes in
the room. She likes keeping
to herself. She likes walking
around the room, singing,
and talking to herself.


My Dad’s Belongings

I found my dad’s old wallet.
He had no money inside.
He died in 2004.
He gave us everything he had.
A roof over our head;
He kept us clothed and fed.
He helped us through school.
He always worked.
He could have done more for
himself. Perhaps he would
still be around. Celebrated
another Christmas, another
New Year. This time of year
I miss him most. We all do.
That wallet was old and worn.
He had no money inside.
He emptied the wallet for us.
We have so many things around
the house that belonged to him.
Too bad we cannot keep everything.
His Mexican Magazines, his old
reel tapes and 8 track recordings;
many of the books and records
that are aging along with us;
It makes me depressed to have to
thrash, donate, or recycle
most of the things he loved so much.


Plans in the Land of Sleep

I make many plans in the land of sleep.
All of my plans I usually forget.
Sometimes when I’m walking in the sun
and begin to feel uneasy

sweat fills my skin. I find shade,
which makes me feel better.
I listen to the cadences of the dogs barking
and howling at the birds in the trees.

When I close my eyelids in the evening
I fill my sleeping eyes with new plans.
The next day my plans are a haze.

The only thing that remains is the sun,
which caresses my skin when I’m out of the shade.


Pill Me

I’m anxious.
Pill me please.
I can’t stop
thinking of
death and things.

I’m depressed.
Pill me please.
I can’t stop
feeling like
I’m worthless.

My mother
and my father
think I am
too much trouble.

My sister
and brother
think I am
a total wreck.

They put me in
this place. They
called the cops.
They told them
I was mad.

I don’t like them
for that. I
know I’m nuts,
but so is
everybody.

I can’t sleep.
Pill me please.
I can’t stop
seeing things

like shadows
and snakes. Please
pill me. I
feel so sick.

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