Quinceanera Balloons Poem by Robert Rorabeck

I drank a lot of beer: I was the drunkest man on the boat
That left beneath the bridge where I used to meet Kelly for lunch
Months ago;
And I caught a forty-pound king fish, while the fishermen harangued me,
While I sang sea-shanties and waited for the flood to overcome
My blood and motion me into the direction that I could
Go,
And I watched Alma flirting with my father again today:
I wonder if that is what all the girls do who are from Mexico: Alma, our
Lives are so fleeting and our chances are so few,
And I ate my lunch today in your truck with you, and I was so frightened
As you told me a little more of your revenue,
Of the boyfriend who you loved while your husband was away, until
He came back to you;
But, Alma, do not be afraid, it is you whom I love, and that cannot take that
Away from you,
And I can make our children so, so brave, and I can command them to build
Green castles for you,
And we can laugh across the terraplane underneath the airplanes cutting a
Rug through your sister’s quinceanera balloons;
And because it is you whom I love, Alma- and you can hurt me if you
Want,
But they cannot take that away from you.