Tony Robles Author of the Children's books: Lakas and the Manilatown Fish and Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel. Pushcart Prize nominee for short story, "In My Country". Co-Editor and Revolutionary Worker Scholar of POOR Magazine--www.poormagazine.org.
Poem for a brother who tends to overtalk me
We’ve known each
Other for a
Short time
But it seems we’ve
Stuffed years into
That short space
He speaks of women, his
Military service,
Women, his health
Women…and women again
Takes 9-10 pills a
Day for as many
Ailments
Sometimes we’ll speak
On politics or something
Heavier and his voice
Will rise
At times we’ll start speaking
At the exact same
Moment
And his voice will take
Off, leaving mine stuck
In a series of stutters
And false starts
Nothing false about
Him, neither teeth
Nor hair or pride
He doesn’t overtalk
Me by intention, he’s merely
Been talked over most of
His life
He’s a 57 year old black
Man from St. Louis who looks at his
Life and decries his lack
Of ambition
If I had a little more
Of this and a little more
Of that, he says
And I listen
And pour him a little more
Coffee
And listen
Some more
And the birds outside
Also listen
And echo
His song
Ambitiously
Snails
We’re two working
Men going at our
Own pace
He’s just a
Janitor
We’re both born
In this city and work
At an apartment complex
Housing the affluent
He mops and sweeps the
Marble floors while I greet
Residents who inquire about the
Status of their dry cleaning
Sometimes they complain
That the water is too hot
In the spa
(Burns their
toes)
I’m just a
Desk clerk
I refer those issues
To the appropriate
Departments
The janitor and I are
Required to raise the
American flag in the morning
The flag is tightly
Wrapped into a triangle
That pokes my side as I
Carry it
The janitor walks
Ahead of me
He fastens the flag
Into place and raises it
By pulling a rope
The flag slithers
Up the pole
We look to the ground
Where snails have sprouted
All around like moles
Others would kick or
step on them but
He picks each one
Raises it to the
Kiss of weeping leaves
The snails look
At us and laugh
We head back
To the apartment complex
at a snail's
pace
just a janitor
just a desk clerk
