Los Deportados

 

 

Tijuana. Early evening avenue 

Heading out to make the scene.

Walking the Calles thru Zona Norte 

Took me to see the poor people

living in the cardboard city 

In refrigerator boxes and plywood shacks.

2 little kids standing barefoot in the rain.

The shelter was blue with brown blinds 

Runaways

Junkies

Prostitutes

Criminals

For a dollar a night, you can stay.

And here among the roadside, 

The cardboard city lies.

Not a dollar a day 

Or a dollar a stay

Even with rainy skies.

With a calm calculus 

I extend my hand to the father 

“Here’s 20 dollars”

“You can stay inside now”

And the minute I did

He grabbed up his kids 

And made his way into the hostel

Is it impossible to think

That amid all the Booze 

And the drugs

And the stink

That home is not a place or a box or a shelter

You’re family is your home

Ask Dorothy.

“There’s no place like it.”

 

Author's Notes/Comments: 

The butterfly effect

 The story could end many ways.

A butterfly beats it’s wings in Mexico, 

and a Hurricane rages on in the Atlantic as a result.

interpret as you will.

will the father spend the money on shelter?

food?

heroin?

Banditos in the night?

and if he did, what would the effect be .

maybe death.

Did I save him?

murder him?

 

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Morningglory's picture

nice

Especially, i liked the ending. You took me there with your words. Picture painted in my mind, clear. 


Copyright © morningglory

Beatnik1979's picture

Yeah

im glad you picked up on it. 

Like I said...

The story could end many ways.

A butterfly beats it’s wings in Mexico, 

and a Hurricane rages on in the Atlantic as a result.

interpret as you will.

will the father spend the money on shelter?

food?

heroin?

and if he did, what would the effect be .

maybe death.