The Taco Chop Shop 

			 			              [ Para Los Taco Shop Poets ] 

			
			 
			Taco shop is open, 

			       wide open, 

			             ventanas abiertas, 

			los poets be chopping 

			       y cropping, 

			air filled 

			       con slices 

			             de filero lenguas, 

			chop, chop de cebolla de lagrimas, 

			       chile fuego, 

			             carnitas of flayed flesh, 

			long grito 

			       that cries freedom, 

			you are the rap, 

			       slap, 

			handclap of conga skin beating 

			       the heart beat 

			of mambo feet 

			       against sangre street, 

			carnales swimming 

			       en la agua sucia 

			             of unrelenting fabricas de crimen, 

			taco shop poetas 

			       pass out las flautas, 

			             cantotecing suenas secas, 

			waiting for touch of madre's hand, 

			       abuelitas understand, 

			under polvo blanco 

			       of a wasted war 

			             y dirt covered Aztecas, 

			los poets tacotecing en la noche, 

			       espanto filled, 

			             llorona chilled, 

			digging up shotgunned hermanos 

			       on noche de los muertos, 

			breaking pan de muerto 

			       con Chica y Berto, 

			recuerdos y chistes, 

			       sonrisas y chismes, 

			until dawn 

			       burns la pachanga 

			to a mascara blanco reality 

			       that is illusion, 

			             a 508 year intrusion, 

			y los tacotecas 

			       slice y slice, 

			con filero palabras 

			       como obsidian blades. 

			 

			Phil Goldvarg   2/00    ©   

			Hgold42734@aol.com