United States, (b. 1953)
¿Pork Que No?
- The truck grunts like a pig,
- the truck grunts like a pig,
- and tar streets are roasting pits
- for the driver carrying nitrates.
- He has a whole gut of cancer
- from eating bacon,
- ham sandwiches,
- and headcheese.
- The truck grunts like a pig,
- the truck grunts like a pig,
- the driver is ordering
- lechón for lunch,
- but there’s no compensation
- for heartburn and
- constipation.
- Who expects more from
- a grunting pig?
- The bingo ladies and bowling leagues
- want their B.L.T’s,
- so step on it.
- The butchers’ union wants a raise,
- but the bottom’s
- dropped out of pork bellies.
- The entire barrio is ready
- for tamales, órale.
- Jesus drove out demons
- from a possessed man
- into the fat of some swine,
- who died like lemmings
- in their plunge.
- The Spanish were first to bring
- pigs to the continent,
- their pork caught on big
- with the locals,
- ’cause some say it tastes como
- human flesh.
- Swine and wine go good together –
- make for fine conversation,
- ’cause them pigs,
- y’know,
- is smart.
About the Poet:
Carlos Cumpián, United States, (b. 1953), is a poet, editor and educator. Cumpián is the editor of March/Abrazo Press and has been instrumental in the longevity of the small press and establishing its presence as an independent publisher of Latino and Native American poetry.
Cumpián been a high school English teacher in Chicago and he has also taught at Columbia College, Chicago and he does public readings and beginner and advanced workshops on poetry and small press management.
He is the author of the poetry collections Coyote Sun (1990), Armadillo Charm (1996), and 14 Abriles (2010). His poems have been widely anthologized, including Emergency Tacos: Seven Poets con Picante and With a Book in Their Hands: Chicano Readers and Readership Across the Centuries. [DES-01/22]