Sittin’
at year’s end
in Cisco’s
on the coffee shop
side of things
waitresses called brusque
by pseudo-hip
rest’rant ree-vuers
mi comadre “Lana…”
Sylvia y las dem�s
harass the cute cowboys
chompin’ down on
mornin’ migas
while the crazy cooks
‘n’ chefs (no chiefs, here!)
drool not being cool
as Fred the mailman of 6th street
eyeBalls the belles
in the passing parade
on our side of the
stove where the sun
shines on daily chisme
as fresh as the coffee served
by yo’ self, fool!
the constant bickering
in multilingual Con/
sternation
on the Eastside of the grill
where the sweatas all hang
is a world
not similar
to the tourists’
in gawd-awful
dismal dining room.

— raulrsalinas, Austin, 1982

This article appears in March 21 • 1997 and March 21 • 1997 (Cover).

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