CHEWING THE FAT

It was time to paint downtown red and revel in a cool norther that was sweeping Brownsville during its usual winter of eternal spring. It won't be long before the populace will be longing for relief from the summer heat. Estanislao Conteras, the controversial author of Chicano Sex Songs, and Jack O'Connell, the great unpublished novelist, amble over to The Library Bar and settle into their seats on Market Square outside the watering hole. They launch into their ruminations:

I have the name of an ex-wife tattooed on my shoulder. At the time of our marriage, I told her the tattoo would prevent me from forgetting her. Unfortunately, I can't remember which shoulder these days.

For those who find themselves covered in honey, there is but one question: To bee or not to bee?

Folks like to talk about eternal energy, but I assert that at the end of the spiral, you go splat and you're swept away with the rest of the dust.

There are no end to words. Leave the page blank. Then you won't be fooling yourself.

When you choose a stream of consciousness moment, you have to imagine that you're improvising on a sax with the confidence that somebody will hear your music.

¿Adieu or adiós? It doesn't make much difference the language. When it's good-bye, it's good bye.

The only way you can leave your problems behind is to turn your back on them and start trudging in the opposite direction.

When you are lying in hot water, loneliness disappears into the steam-covered mirror.

I prefer walking through doors that swing open easily.

I am an old man now. I have loved and lost, but I don't wallow in the mire of the past. The mud-slinging has been slung and those past loves dangle from a tree branch hung.

I have raised six children. One of them died after three months. A Jewish friend said that they are beautiful until they grow up. Although my children have become adults and are beautiful, it is a different beauty. When a child is no longer a child, it is a small death.

Start a bloodbath. Then bathe until you have cleansed yourself of all the wounds you have endured. Refreshed, sharpen your pencil and stab to your heart's content.




Forget the pizza! Forget the wine! For Contreras and O'Connell, there is no more spiritual spot in Brownsville than the courtyard at Dodici Pizza & Wine. There is the ambience of the French Quarter surviving from those days when Brownsville was once called the New Orleans of the Rio Grande. The owner clears a table for them. Ordering a pizza and a bottle of wine, the pair recommence their meditations:

I ask myself many questions about the passage of time, but we should give thanks for the flickering moment.

Old men seek refuge in cheap apartments. They no longer roam the plains. These old lions have lost their teeth.

We should never measure ourselves against the masters. We would be intimidated into doing nothing.

There are millions who have lived in fear, witnessed their own blood flowing into the gutters and died.

You are forced to climb. That doesn't mean you don't reach out for a hand, but if you're going to reach the top and overcome obstacles along the way, it's all in your hands.

A wind, a wave and a wand in her hand. I need someone like this in my life.

As bad as your situation may be, would you want to switch places with individuals who couldn't remember their names?

The Buddha never sought followers. He pointed. You chose your own direction.

She never forgave you for biting her nipples when you started teething. And she had beautiful breasts before she became pregnant with you. Never forget! There are two sides to every story.

Time will heal. It took me years to accept that Santa no longer existed.

If you think of sex as nothing more than eating a steak or drinking a bottle of wine, you enjoy it until you are hungry or thirsty or horny again.

Sometimes it is best not to remember if that's possible. That is the reason people feel deeply saddened at Christmas because the innocence of those beautiful times has vanished forever.

Sadly, a haiku is much longer than my penis.

It's like comparing apples and oranges. There is no difference between poetry and prose if the author defines his prose as poetry. And I insist that free verse is best when it's terse.

Whether they craved or gave, they were destined for the grave.

Our body is a canvas. Make sure the artist can draw. In some cases, it helps if he can also spell.

I wish I were in Mendoza, Argentina sipping on a Malbec and gazing at the Andes.

Life is an ellipsis...



"Delta" Dave Handelman is taking the stage when Contreras and O'Connell are entering El Hueso de Fraile. The compadres order a bottle of red and and find a table at the bohemian retreat. Although the audience is asked to remain quiet during the performances, Contreras and O'Connell don't always abide by the rules, particularly when they are pontificating on life:

I have always lived in warm climes. Living and dealing with a frigid environment is beyond my comprehension. This reality accounts for the reason I have no appreciation for hockey. Your wintry descriptions did make me shiver and I won't be moving north soon.

If you are lucky, there will be an Indian summer before the final winter when the leaves drop suddenly from the trees.

We used to hang out in a cemetery and smoke dope although there were buddies who found holes significantly shallower than six feet.

Like a shark, you keep swimming forward. It's a waste of time to drown in your own tears.

I prefer being a male. Take a Viagra. Rise to the occasion. Swallow a Xanax, Who gives a damn!

Even on a bad day, there is tomorrow. And just like dark turning to light, embrace the new day with a fresh mind.

You imply that beauty is only skin-deep. But what would a person look like flayed?

The moment you stop taking yourself seriously is the moment you start writing serious stuff.

What would Freud say about Lot's two daughters and the Bible's favorite word--fornication?

Uriah Heap will never be tossed on the trash heap of history. Dickens is eternal.

Momma always knows. She doesn't say anything. She lets her fish run.

Those who live without judging others are truly liberated.

I eat the same type of salads. I vary the dressings.

There are a fortunate few who once they become one will always be one.

I don't think I would read that poem to my three-year-old at bedtime, but I might read it to my wife to determine if we are going to get funky tonight.

Job is my favorite book in the Bible because Satan exposes God's terrible ego who is lured into a bet that will allow a dutiful wife and a brood of beautiful children to die in order to prove a point.



Contreras and O'Connell are traditionalists. They would sooner vote for Donald Trump than finish a foray downtown without stopping at The Palm Lounge, an institution. They opt for a bucket of beers as they continue their ramblings:

If you are always looking for angles, a poem will suddenly appear out of nowhere.

I have often wandered streets like a stray dog, but I had money in my pocket. Money will open a door. Even a wanderer has to sit and that's when the adventure begins.

I have found that sleeping late gives me the same pleasure as long strolls. It's about having a tranquil mind.

Feel like I'm watching a foreign movie whose language I don't understand, but I do comprehend bits and pieces of the work. However, I am one of those readers who never works too hard.

You take the melody and change the lyrics. Sometimes the imagery suffices for a translation, but a general sense of agony still permeates the sonnet.

Did Ted Hughes lead Sylvia Plath down a suicidal path? His critics contend that he was partly responsible for her death. Ultimately, a person chooses to kill himself or herself and pointing the finger at others if of little consolation when you consider the consequences.

Much like prisoners, birds find safety in cages. Freedom doesn't compare to security.

I don't think we are losing our freedoms. There are millions in our country who are losing their sanity.

We should never take ourselves too seriously because when it's all said and done, we're a rather silly species at best.

Knowing Spanish is the key to the universe. Pigs speaks English. Poets speak Spanish.

Death, no matter how you slice it, particularly if it claims those whom you love, is never a pleasant thought.

Is a combination of Western and Eastern philosophies the Middle Way that will lead to salvation?

If you want to live the rest of your life broke, fall for a bloke.

When there was only the second generation of Cain and Abel, murder ruled humanity.

I have sex with my laptop and welcome into the world my latest creation.