THE SWINGLES CAME TO TOWN

The guard caught us,

   huddled behind the wings

and kindly enough led us out.

We therefore

huddled against the doors

ears pressed

to the polished wood.  Kindly

enough it let the music

     Out.

  And the music

reached us,

straight to our bitterness

and mute helpless anger,

         despite

the callous stare of the seller of souvenirs.

    Throughout a fugue

      she complained

of a backache which had been bothering her.

Her husband got the worst of it, poor soul;

she didn’t know why he put up with her, ho-

nestly.  It was really marvelous.

         Marvelous,

       the beautiful people exclaimed

As their eyes sought evidence

      that

  they were

        being seen

    in the gleaming lobby.

(You people are dead...)

        Marvelous, they said,

                    and mentioned this or that piece

while their eyes carefully avoided

     carefully avoided

            the quiet corner

where we sat.

  But the floor was clean enough.

After the intermission the doors shut in

  the cool expensive air

       again.

What a pity, the souvenirs seller’s eyes

Communicated disgustedly, that the music

               wouldn’t

        stay in as well.

                                          

                                                                   -  Ma. Lorena Barros

                                                                      undated