despecho hour at the casa azul restaurante y cantina

BY JOSÉ OLIVAREZ

Para Aracely

 

despecho rhymes with espejo—

translation: my sibs could be

my twins if

they weren’t so feos.

remix: if i weren’t so ugly

i wouldn’t look so much like mis hermanos.

 

let me try again:

this one goes out to my fam

posted at the bar pouring shots

until the ceiling falls apart & reveals

the moon. i’m sorry to break

the news: you can sing all you want,

comadre, you can get Chente himself

to sing on your behalf—she’s gone.

translation: all that’s left to do

llorar y llorar.

one more time

for those who haven’t caught on:

it’s that time of night where all you have

is your biggest ache & all its nicknames.

our bartender is from Guatemala.

he tells us Spanish is his second language.

his first language is Ixil.

in the entire state of  Iowa

how many people speak Ixil?

question:

is despecho the music he plays

when he cleans the drunks up from the bar

& is despecho what it sounds like

when you cross one strange country

just to land in another & discover

all your words for love are strange & unfamiliar?