Squaretable Seminars

“Back then even the good girls got dizzy”
DIZZY GIRLS IN THE SIXTIES – Gary Soto


We left the avisos of our madres españolas in our house shoes,
Thoughts of early billetes and bottles of agua faded,
And we nearly skipped west along the calles.

We went to Trujillo on the morning autobús,
Dragged around bocadillos of jamón and oranges
And sipped from cans with nickel-thick bottoms.

We took bites out of the ripe queso, the fuzzy manzanas,
The tortilla española that is not made with flour,
And threw the rest away in a plastic bag.

We sat on pitted concrete and fished out our dulces,
Drank milk-juice from the aluminum-insided cartons,
And its sabor paraíso escaped in dribbles with our laughter.

We modeled like true turistas around the square’s tiendas
While Pizarro sat like a patron saint atop his caballo,
And pigeons circled his head to drop a white crown.

We evaded guides that spouted moreno history like faucets,
Tried on the acento of stone walls with glass barbed wire,
And pulled our necks around every corner with a good vista.

We discussed the trabajo for class and headed back east,
Digested the vino and the cultura as the spotted land passed,
And then thinned out in parejas for the walk home.


© Hannah Walleser