Five Poems by Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal
1. Take My Time
So long ago
I lived my life
in a hurry
only to find
I did not live.
I retrace my
steps trying to
get my life back.
I take my time.
I savor life.
Hopefully, I
have a little
life left, where I
can find a bit
of joy for once
I made myself
tired for the last
time living life
in haste without
slowing down to
taste the fruit and
smell the flowers,
to contemplate
life in real time.
*
2. Loneliness Talks
Loneliness talks nonstop.
It seeks to conjure companionship.
That’s all it really wants.
It wants to split up with solitude.
It is tired of its silence.
Solitude never wants to talk
and loneliness needs to hear its voice.
There is so much it wants to talk about
that gets lost in translation.
*
3. From Here to There
If I could be a snail,
that would be
fine by me.
I would go from here
to there at
gentle speed.
I would take my time
without a care
in the world.
Being a snail would be
something else
from my point of view.
It would be real good
to test my velocity
from time to time.
I am certain I would
move at the same pace
throughout my life.
*
4. Once Again
Lips that say my name.
Lips that tease an evening stroll.
Should I believe them?
Should I put my trust in them?
Lips that come out of the shadows.
Lips that disdain the light.
Should I hold my breath?
It’s getting late and dark.
The crushing of a heart
to pebbles from a solid stone,
from dust to nothing,
will it take place again?
Flailing with tired arms
once again.
*
5. If I Lose My Hair
If I lose my hair,
I will not feel sad.
I have lost many things
more concerning.
If I lose my head
in a fit of rage
as I watch television
on Election Day,
it might be time to leave
the country, voluntarily
or involuntarily,
I do not know which
will come first.
If I lose an ear,
just call me Vincent.
I will take up painting
and draw the devil
tanning on the sun.
I will draw the devil
hairless, headless, tailless,
and missing an ear.
It will be dangerous times
like in the times of dragons,
and the elected leader
will be grinning,
reckless in his decisions,
hallucinating with the devil,
compulsive, and
mad. He will spend all day
pursuing the almighty dollar.
He will dry up the sea
and name the land after him.
Bio of the Poet: Born in Mexico, Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal, lives in California and works in Los Angeles. His poetry and artwork have appeared in Blue Collar Review, Borderless Journal, Himalaya Diary, Oddball Magazine, Unlikely Stories, and Yellow Mama Webzine. His most recent poetry book, Make the Water Laugh, was published by Rogue Wolf Press. Kendra Steiner Editions published 7 of his chapbooks.