Something in a lighter mode, perhaps.
Every once in a while a song will get a hold of me,
and almost drive me crazy.
I think the first time this happened
was when I was about six years old,
and "Onward Christian Soldiers" kept going through my head.
There's a song and, all day long,
driving to and back from Marana, where I spoke today,
I've been trying to recall the title or maybe recall the tune.
But at any rate, the first line or two of this poem
is the same as this popular--
it's a western song.
I've changed, of course, the song quite a bit
while keeping the general movement of the song.
And the poem is titled "Variation," because it's
a variation of the song.
I have some stage directions to it in Spanish,
and they are cántelo con tristeza, which means,
sing it with sadness.
Across the alley from the Alamo, live
an old paint pony and a Navajo, whose head
is like a lump of black chewing gum.
The horse has never brushed his teeth.
They stand there giving an Indian howdy to all
that pass by, a grunt, looking at the sky.
The horse chews on the Indian's shoulder.
They used to wash their frijoles in the creek,
and pick their teeth around the fire.
Get a little drunk once a week.
Until, one day, looking at the sky, they went away.
Down the railroad track, wishing, not looking.
Toot toot, they never came back.