- Malecón de Peñasco
an excerpt of Tortoise Boy Says
an excerpt of Tortoise Boy Says
para German Naranjo
The first summer night spent
watching el Mar de Cortez
swallow the sun--
The sky now black, and the way
the night feels, la humidad
del mar y su playa, the tourists
drinking and drinking,
the sky now exploding,
fireworks symbolizing the chaos in
everyone who is Mexican, the worry
washing up on the shore and the drinks
of sunrise still being served to
tomato-faced tourists;
y los mariscos y la música playera
y los paisanos saliendo a dar vueltas
por la plaza and the way midnight feels;
the sky still black,
and the girls are nameless
and beautiful y bailan con
su cadera al ritmo costero
and las bocas masticando
comida callejera and the night
ends only when la banda deja
de tocar.
En la madrugada,
everything is solemn.
Poco a poco,
a new day is born.
Todo a su ritmo,
todo a la vez.
The first summer night spent
watching el Mar de Cortez
swallow the sun--
The sky now black, and the way
the night feels, la humidad
del mar y su playa, the tourists
drinking and drinking,
the sky now exploding,
fireworks symbolizing the chaos in
everyone who is Mexican, the worry
washing up on the shore and the drinks
of sunrise still being served to
tomato-faced tourists;
y los mariscos y la música playera
y los paisanos saliendo a dar vueltas
por la plaza and the way midnight feels;
the sky still black,
and the girls are nameless
and beautiful y bailan con
su cadera al ritmo costero
and las bocas masticando
comida callejera and the night
ends only when la banda deja
de tocar.
En la madrugada,
everything is solemn.
Poco a poco,
a new day is born.
Todo a su ritmo,
todo a la vez.