We walked to each other’s flat
-slipped on our cholo slippers
ran over and whistled for the other
to come out and face another day
good times
days of long talks, laughs, jokes,
jabs, and grub.
Esquinkles
bola de pinches
but always homies
trying to survive
the humid death that followed
us daily
we grew up chasing girls,
dodging bullets,
sometimes
behind closed doors
-bawling like babies
when the pangs of hunger
set in
la vecina decia,
pinches chiquillos
bola de pinches
when she caught us doing pendejadas
we would run
across the Village
laughing til we were out of breath
When the hynas
grew some chichitas
we stopped chasing them
we started talking real pa’ca
and started making out in the stairways
smelling the stench of miados and spilled beer.
We inhaled their aqua net heaven
through moans and groans
and puras mentiras
just to get a bit deeper
We cared more about the creases in our
Dickies and white shirts
than the grades in school
We danced to firme oldies
and fell in love everyday,
living like it was our last
but really
all we wanted
was to love
be loved,
and be the best
