GRINGOS

GRINGOS

for Carol Ann

How do you light the butane?
Where is the beach from here?
We rented a Volkswagen in La Paz,
drove it over the dunes
that road, tangled with brush.

Two women sunbathed naked,
we asked for directions.
They told us and we left them our Coppertone.
Hard water leave film on glasses.
Magazines read better two decades outdated.

Have you seen the new Chevrolets? Drive the USA
crank down the windows and stick your feet out.
The wind tickles and smells of a flower
you’ve never smelled;
a first is still a first, no matter how
many passed this way before.

Campfires and guitars
Campfires and rum
Campfires and nakedness
They go with everything, even morning.
We wear smoke in our hair.