Ice House circa 1964
I restock the icebox with Lone Stars, Pearls,
Falstaf, and Jax, a cold bed of longnecks
for men who take pride in their sweat,
men like El Pajarito, El Dormido,
El Queque, El Escándalo,
crumpled paychecks dangling
from their shirt pockets,
They wait for the life of the party, El Garbanzo,
who drives a restored 1953 Chevy Bel Aire,
like a resurrection on the street with Little Joe
and the Latinaires blasting the eight track,
his glass pak mufflers purring cantos
of crankshaft, the ashtray smug with the butts
of past Lucky Strikes.
— Jacinto Jesús Cardona
Jacinto Jesús Cardona is a San Antonio poet who teaches at Incarnate Word High School. For information about National Poetry Month events in San Antonio, go to npsmsa.org
