mexican parties
i’ve married
a mexican woman
and early on
i could tell
that every party
they host
is not actually
for the person
it’s supposed
to be for.
we went
to vegas once
for a christening.
the child was
an infant.
the parents
rented out
a hall,
threw a party –
the whole
sha-bang.
but when i
looked around
the baby
was nowhere
in sight!
tucked away
in a crib
in some
hotel room
with god
knows who!
the parents
were obliterated –
we all were!
it wasn’t
a party
for the baby;
it was
an excuse
to rage
in vegas!
my wife
and i
have been
married now
for 3 yrs.,
together
for 8.
last week,
we celebrated
her abuelo’s
94th birthday
but no one
got him
a gift!
he stayed
locked away
in his room
while cousins,
tias, and tios
came from
all over to
drink modelos
and smoke cigars!
the poor soul
stayed
locked away
in his wheelchair
masturbating
to god
knows what!
(he’s been
caught before.)
whenever
they throw
birthday parties
for me,
it usually
results
in carne asada
and
cumbia music –
neither of which
i like.
but
i’ve grown
to love
that every
party
is an excuse
to live
in the moment
and that’s better
than most
families
do.
The Romantic
i was
on a plane
sitting next to
a French hippie
w/ an American
southern accent.
the weirdest
cocktail.
we were
flying from
Paris to
Redondo Beach,
California.
i told him
about how
i felt dumb
b/c
i spilled wine
on
this poor
French girl’s
white dress
the night
before i left
and then
i bought
her meal
but she was
still sour.
‘listen man,
don’t worry
about her.
you’re
up here,
she’s
down there.
we’re surfing
the clouds.’
it made
me feel
a little better
though
for all
we knew
she could’ve
also been
surfing
the clouds.
‘how did you
like paris?’
he asked.
‘it was
ok.’
‘didn’t live
up to your
expectations,
huh?
it won’t
reading
that guy.’
he nodded to
A Moveable Feast
on my tray.
‘you gotta take
the romantics
with a grain
of salt.
if there’s
one thing
i’ve learned
it’s that
the food
never tastes
as good as
it looks.’
stream of consciousness
a stream
of consciousness
should flow
as straight
and direct
as a stream
of piss does.
except that
i had
a hypospadias
repair
as a child
so my stream
of piss
shoots haywire
like an
unwitting dog
pissing excitedly
on a light pole.
so does
my stream
of consciousness
shoot all
over
the page
that it makes
drunk
Jack Kerouac
look like
a coherent
writer.
such is
the excitement
of a writer
who simply
can’t wait
to get his
words down.
thank god
for editing.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ken Kakareka has a collection of poems & stories forthcoming with Anxiety Press. His latest novel is Summer of Irresponsibility (Alien Buddha Press, 2023). Ken’s words have appeared or are on their way in numerous rags including Gargoyle Magazine, A Thin Slice of Anxiety, and Oddball Magazine. A list of selected publications can be found at kenkakareka.com.
Image created on Magic Studio
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