Thick Rules - Christopher Rubio-Goldsmith
I have a friend who likes rules
The story must have a plot
One beer is not enough
You can never leave a game early
Even if it’s a savage blow out
The cebolla is sprinkled on the menudo
After the cilantro and chiltepin
If you begin a dance
You finish the dance
Never make the tortillas too thick
Something about not finishing what is started
Summons el diablo
His hooves marking the floor
His tail terrorizing los perros
No one may cut into the pinata line
Even if they are tiny and may not get a
Chance to take a devastating swing
My friend crosses himself when he passes a church
Claims Jim Morrison is still alive like Rimbaud who
fooled everyone good
And lived his life on a shore where no one looked for him
(Let’s practice the invisible)
This friend says many do not choose
Their favorite song or that one kiss
That still flames up their nostalgic longings
While sitting, drinking a beer in an empty cantina,
Reading a novel found deep in a drawer.
One late night he will call. Buckled by an anxious
Dream full of swamps and remind you that days are
For taking chances. Sometimes all it takes is less sugar,
Replacing the one broken shoelace
In your favorite pairs of kicks, or arriving early
At the parade before the crowds and rain.
Christopher Rubio-Goldsmith was born in Merida, Yucatan, grew up in Tucson, Arizona and taught English at Tucson High School for 27 years. Much of his work explores growing up near the border, being raised biracial/bilingual and teaching in a large urban school where 70% of the students are American/Mexican. A Pushcart nominee, his writings will appear in Drunk Monkeys, Sky Island Journal and have been published in Allium Journal, Book Of Matches and other places too. His wife, Kelly, sometimes edits his work, and the two cats seem happy.
