THIRTEEN WAYS TO LOOK AT HIZZONER TONY MARTINEZ

I

Among twenty sabal palms,

The only moving thing

Was the eye of Tony Martinez.

II

He was of three minds,

Like an ebano tree

In which there are three lagartijos sarnosos

III

Martinez whirled in the southeast trade winds.

And he was a small part of the pantomina

IV

Martinez and a woman

Are one.

Martinez, a woman, and a shady real estate deal

Are one.

V

I do not know which to prefer,

The beauty of inflections

Or the beauty of innuendoes,

Martinez ripping off the public

Or just after.

VI

Icicles filled the long window

With barbaric glass.

The shadow of Tone Martinez 

Crossed it, to and fro.

The mood

Traced in the shadow

An indecipherable ethics code 

VII

O thin men of Las Prietas

Why do you imagine trips to Mars?

Do you not see how the urracas 

Walk around the feet

Of the rucas about you?

VIII

I know noble accents

And lucid, inescapable rhythms;

But I know, too,

That Jason Hilts and Martinez are involved

In what I know.

IX

When Martinez flew out of sight to Medellin

It marked the edge

Of one of many circles.

X

At the sight of Martinez

Caught in a green light,

Even the bawds of euphony

Gritaban sharply

Aguas con la lana, Guey!

XI

He rode over Southmost

In a glass ranfla.

Once, a fear pierced him,

In that he mistook

The shadow of his money bags 

For black urracas 

XII

El Rio Bravo is moving.

Tony Martinez must be scheming

XIII

It was evening toda la tarde

It was blowing

And it was going to blow.

Martinez sat salivating

In the mesquite limbs.