At the coffee shop The men spoke About $500.00 jackets, The salaries of Auto mechanics, Truck drivers, And Real Estate Brokers. Eating the cheapest thing On the menu And drinking free water, I eavesdropped on Their chatter. I wondered What a $500.00 jacket Felt like. American made. They boasted: will last you Fifty years. It sounded Like a bargain. But I've been gaining weight. Would I outgrow it? Would I have to watch What I ate and keep in shape? At the rate I was going I believe the jacket would Outlive me. Would I be Around in fifty years? I decided to splurge. I bought me a cup of coffee. At least I could afford that.
Luis C. Berriozabal was born in 1967 in Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico). He has lived in Los Angeles County since 1975 and works in the mental health field in LA. His first book of poetry, Raw Materials, was published in 2004 by Pygmy Forest Press. His broadside In the House of the Butterflies was published by New American Imagist. Some of his poetry and artwork is featured in The Hold, Remark Poetry, and Thunder Sandwich.