El Charro
For Vicente Fernandez
The dirt
The sweat
The horses,
Saddles off,
Brushed.
The girl who thinks she is pregnant.
The woman who is.
The man with no money is his pocket
The man with pockets full.
The man who stumbles.
The women who watch.
The broken hearts
The soon to be’s
The finger waggers
The I-will-nevers
The I-told-you so’s.
But listen!
Everything stops.
The world and its noise
And clatter and-
He sings!
Listen!
You can hear
The sound of falling in love
The quiet flames filling space
And space and space again.
The skirts swirl
The men dance when they couldn’t before.
El Charro!
El Charro!
Nothing is wrong
When we hear your voice
Fill the night
Across our lonely plains
And valleys and mountains.
Turn up the radio
Turn it up loud-
Loud.
El Charro sings!
El Rey!
He sings!
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