Two Poems

Mexico

She's in Mexico,
of all places—Mexico!
Hanging out in the Mayan ruins
of Cancun and Tulum, trying to figure
the whole thing out.
How in the hell could such an entrenched,
pervasive civilization essentially vanish
in a matter of decades? Crop failure?
Disease? War, greed, murder?
Retribution of an angry god?
Yes, yes, all of them I'm sure.
But more importantly, I miss her.
I miss my beautiful wife and
want her back here with me,
back home where she belongs,
crop failure, disease, war, greed,
and angry gods be damned.

 

Topless in Mexico

At first it didn't bother me. In fact, it seemed kind of funny. "You should have seen us, Honey, a sight to behold. All 12 of us middle-aged women sitting on beach chairs all in a row—topless!" What? Topless? "I don't know who started it, Melinda, probably, you know her, as a joke. It's legal on some beaches down in Mexico, oh you should've seen it. It was a sight to behold." I can only imagine, I'm laughing and shaking my head. "I didn't tell you for the longest time because I thought you might be upset. You aren't upset, are you?" This conversation was a week ago, and I wasn't upset at the time, but now, after it has all settled in, it is bothering me a little, like a smeared footprint in new cement. It's not bothering me intellectually, I mean, no big deal really, no harm done, truly a sight to behold, a dozen middle-aged, mostly out of shape, saggy women all sitting in a row on a beach in Cancun, their white breasts reflecting the white glare of the tropical sun, a man or two standing off to the side, mouths agape. "Probably the fastest way to clear the beach," I joked. But inside, deep in the soft hallowed interior of my romantic soul, I winced and caught my breath. There she was, my very own beauty, the love of my life, the virginous little girl I married so many years ago, who once confessed to her priest that we French kissed, sitting topless on some fucking beach in Mexico. "No, of course I'm not upset. Why ever would I be upset about something so silly?"