"Compare This" by Christopher Rubio-Goldsmith

Photo Credit: Stefan Fluck, obtained and licensed through Unsplash.

Compare This

Carlos Santana or Jimi Hendrix or Chavela Vargas or the crushed Daffy Duck pinata
on the floor or an evening baseball game or a revolution or pie or two kisses
behind the bleachers or two kittens or a mosh pit pumping 
beyond midnight or los cascarones or a slow cab ride through traffic
with the Christian preacher yelling on the radio station or everyone stands
behind the velvet rope or no one cares
about dinner plans or chingasos or the bed feels good 
minus the sleep or the television is finally busted or the car runs 
out of oil or the movie crowd boos or the clowns trip up the bears 
on the bicycles or the end or regrets of sleeping
through the set or tin roofs or flat tires or cracked cement floors
plus rusted pipes or chickens or calles de amor or running
from the rain or the wind of lost change or burned frijoles or tired workers
by sleeping cats or the metro can’t run or the walk was perfect or the paleta vender
opposite the crowd knew your name or the spectacular goal 
in the sun was a comet or the mountains were covered 
under snow or the sky spoke in rhyme or the dog jumped 
for the frisbee or the child swung and swung and swung or the bistro ran 
out of smoke pulled pork flautas or the student was late and tired 
despite drinking the cola or the day turned blue or the snake recovered  
the apple or no one listened again or a dozen buns were lost 
at the picnic or most liked the pretzels or the shoes were tight or the basketball rolled 
past the bus or Cantinflas or Guapo or Ted Williams or Roberto Clemente or nothing
between last call or bass lines or café con leche or wicked lost boys
concerning the lunch bunch or the dreamers sitting quietly
above the train set or Lenny got to live full of joy
with all those rabbits. They ate out of his hand and survived.

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Christopher Rubio-Goldsmith was born in Merida Yucatan, grew up in Tucson Arizona, and taught English at Tucson High Magnet School for 27 years. Since he grew up near the border and in a biracial, bilingual home and taught in a big urban high school where over 70 percent of the students were American-Mexican, much of the poetry he writes explores these experiences. Many years ago, he graduated with a degree in creative writing from the University of Arizona. His writings have appeared in Broken Matches Journal, Fourteen Hills, Sand Hills, the anthology, America, We Call Your Name and other places too. He has been married to Kelly for 30 years, and she helps edit his work, sometimes.