report card time

you begin with a set of advantages, a set of disadvantages,
with a pair of eyes & hands that often dislike to work
with each other

with a push, a pull, self-injurious tendencies
& a predisposition to browse, to bruise, to love, to hurt others

*

you begin in awe, in you had me at hello, & with the years
you end up striking a deal with the present 
& the future because of the past, your lack of leverage

with timing issues, not knowing when to speed or defer gratification,
when to let go or hold on for dear life

*

you begin with a coin flip, billiard balls, & a defense mechanism
setup to override the software,
ordered to keep others & you yourself out

with a head-scratcher, an incalculable risk,  
& a reward system that’s bound to go kaput


c. a. campos, 2012  

wisdom tooth

our goal is not to have a goal,
it's not to increase them as we sober up to drink,
as we're slowed & rushed along the conveyor belt

it's to redefine or do away with
the mortgaged, assembled & packaged in another country
ideas of success, of happiness

it's to try things at home (truth's never age appropriate),
to reassign blame, disarm pain,
to track down & torture hope, aspiration

the hell with posturing, keeping others in the loop,
with sharing tryout dates,
our monologues, trials & tribulations with the world

through serendipity, diligent work,
we have put purpose in its place,
we've become allergic to goal-god-oriented people


c. a. campos, 2012

arenas movedizas

«me acuerdo del futuro, de los planes del pasado»,
se anuncia enuncia, para sus adentros, el presente

«me acuerdo de sus piernas largas,
de cuando quise hacerle, quiso hacerme caso»,
se dice mientras se le va la mano, se masturba

«me acuerdo del hermano abel, del verbo haber,
de que éste solamente se emplea en singular
cuando se hace auxiliar de sí mismo»

«me acuerdo de las erecciones,
de lo escabroso que se me hacían disimularlas»,
entre comillas, entre paréntesis,
el presente continúa mascullándose para sí

«me acuerdo del pluscuamperfecto»


c. a. campos, 2012