DON JUAN

In Spanish
the Cuban man
stated he was Korean,
and then laughed.

He claimed it
was New Year's Eve
Nineteen-Forty Four and
laughed harder.

I am four
plus four thousand
years of age, he said, in
his rapid speech.

He kissed a
peer, who kissed him
back, each peer diagnosed
as Bipolar.

He had not
showered or changed
his clothing in weeks. Still,
Don Juan found

words of love
and romance to
entice female patients
to a kiss from

his unwashed
mouth. The doctors,
nurses and other female
staff did not

fall for his
words, intrusive
behavior, or poor
boundaries.

In public
he would stroke his
unwashed member, laughing,
and hearing

the voices
in his head. The
hypersexual man went
by Don Juan.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

(added 07.21.08)

DEATH IS A DEVIL

Death is a devil,
who lurks in shadows.
It takes lives and it
clutches hearts firmly.

It lives inside caves
and cannot be caught.
Death abhors love and
this is not a lie.

Death is the one in
disguise. It can be
a stain or a man.
It won't be denied.

It knows when to strike.
All things must pass. No
one's time belongs to
them. Death will take it.

This world is not for
us. This world is not
for me. Death controls
our existence. It

lies to us always.
This world is not ours.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

(added 07.21.08)

SOUND COERCION

The FBI and Warner Brothers
are following me around
with cameras. They are taping
a movie about my life.

They are practicing sound
coercion. I hear their cameras
in the shower and in
the family room. I need help.

I get messages from my friends
and relatives from the TV
and radio telling me to be careful.
The cameras keep rolling.

I don't know why there are so
many nurses around me.
I don't need to take medications.
I'm healthy in my mind.

The FBI and Warner Brothers
need to pay me my money
for the movies they have made
about me. I am a star.

There is a conspiracy against me.
I just want to go home
without any cameras filming me.
I can't even take a piss.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

(added 07.21.08)

IN '41

In '41 I was
only a child,
too young to join
the army.

In ’41 I was
just a baby,
too small to walk,
too small to
speak a word or make
the world a better place.

In '41 I did
not know my name.
I would have changed
it if I
knew who I was in
’41 now.

I was too young
to defend
my land from our foes,
too young to wipe my nose.

In '41 I had
no crazy thoughts
inside my head.
If I did
I could not think
that far back.

I was too young
to make waves,
too young to make life
a better place, yeah.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

(added 06.26.08)

WAITING FOR MY MOM

I am waiting
for my mom
to pick me up.
The sixty-year
old patient
tells his doctor.
Here for shooting
a starter
pistol from his
seventeenth floor
window at
people he thought
were shooting at
him. There were
no other shots
reported, but
his. The man
afraid to be
shot had the cops
at his door
with real pistols.
The doctor asked
how old was
his mom and if
she was alive?
The patient said
he was fine.
He said he was
a doctor and
demanded
to be released.
At night he cried
for his mom,
who never came.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

(added 06.26.08)

I AM THE SUN

I am the sun.
I live off air and water.
I need a bottle
of cognac to
pour on the insects
and lice on my skin.
I have lost thirty
pounds in six months
because the bugs
are drinking my blood.
I am god.
I am a doctor.
I had some bad dirt
get on me from
the Los Angeles
ground, which caused
my skin to look
this way. I need
to get out and
collect some cans.
I recycle to live.
I need to go out
hunting for food.
I want to go
to the machine
and get some money.
I need to live
in a duplex.
I need to live
in a high rise
because I am the sun.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

(added 06.26.08)

DEPRESSING DAY

When I asked the depressed
lady why she wanted to die,
“to get to Heaven,” she said.

If I were to go back to my
Catholic school days, “I would
tell her, “You go to hell if you
kill yourself.” But I don’t.

The depressed lady not only
wanted to die, but she wanted
to speed up the process by
overdosing on her pills or
cutting her wrists with a blade.

I asked the depressed lady
if she read or if she had hobbies
to make her feel better, she
said, “Yes. But I lost interest.”

I was way over my head here.
I could not make the depressed
lady smile or feel good about
the future. I wondered if that was
even part of the job.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

SMALL WAIST

That small waist
turned heads in the tavern.
Glasses were
emptied as eyes followed
the small waist.

Is she a prostitute asked a woman?
Why don’t you ask her, said the
man she was with?
The woman gave the man she was
with an icy stare.

The small waist
walked out of the tavern.
A blue-eyed,
mascara stained prostitute
livened things up for a moment.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

GENUINE GENIUS

Who set the sun off in the distance?
Who painted it red orange?

Whose brush splashed the rivers green?
The fish silver? The skies dark?
Who placed the songbird on the bent branch
and filled it with sound?

Some mad artist?
Some genuine genius?

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

HOW WILL I MAKE FRIENDS NOW?

I’m really worried
about my hair.
It won’t grow.

I can’t get a job
because of my
hair, you know.

I’m really upset
today. I don’t
know why I’m

here. I don’t want to
answer any
of your dumb

questions because I
don’t have mental
problems. I

have a feeling in
the back of my
teeth. I need

a dentist. I don’t
need a shrink. My
plan is to

live with my boyfriend
in Bel Air. We
were going

to get married. But
my hair caught fire.
How will I

make friends now? I’m not
whatever the
shrink tagged me.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

MALODOROUS DRUG

He sniffs his own feces and urine.
He claims it gets him higher
than crack, speed, or PCP.
He concocts this malodorous drug
in the restroom inside a cup
half-full of rubbing alcohol.

I thought he was strange when he said he
was hooked on instant coffee
with sugar and cream packets.
But hearing about human waste used
as a means to get high is
something I had not heard before.

It was reported there have been more
than one explosion as
the drug splatters in his room.
His roommates come out gagging for air.
The Group Homes have crossed him off
of their placement lists forever.

The doctors give him other drugs which
he is convinced is poison.
He would rather drink urine.
He would rather sniff his own waste to
self-medicate, to get high from
the most malodorous drug.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

CONTRADICTORY MAN

I am psycho.
I am a gangster.
I am a playboy
like President Clinton.

I speak German.
I speak Chinese.
I am a Catholic-Jew.
I was born in a stable.

I’m from Bethlehem.
I’m from East Berlin.
I came from Cuba
on a motor boat.

I was arrested.
I am homeless.
I am a rich man
from Beverly Hills.

I need my slippers.
I need my clothes.
I want to walk naked
and barefoot on fire.

I am a refugee.
I am a citizen.
I am the President
of the United States.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

STINKY BREATH

I hit that old cow
Because she had
Stinky breath.
How dare she come to
Church like that? I
Hit that bitch.

I knocked the stink right
Out of her mouth.
I was told
That I was wrong. But
I know people
Were happy.

I saw their smiles of
Approval for
What I did.
You just don’t come to
The house of God
With bad breath.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

GOING HOME

Don’t claim to hear voices.
Keep it a secret if
You want to go home.

Take all your medicine
Even if you don’t
Think you need it or
You cannot go home.

Don’t claim you are Jesus.
You might believe you
Are. But don’t tell
Your doctor or you
Will not be sent home.

Do not stop eating or
Bathing. Go to the groups
And admit you will
Continue to take
All your medicine so
You can go back home.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

DON'T LET THE DOCTOR
TELL YOU MY MOTHER'S ALL RIGHT

Don't let the doctor
Tell you my mother
Is sane. She will come
Home and begin to
Rule with her iron
Fist again. Don't let
The doctor tell you
My mother's all right.

We know how her mind
Works. She is only
Fine sometimes. Most times
She is controlled by
Forces out of this
World. She takes it out
On us. Please don't let
The doctor fool you.

I know they cannot
Handle her there. We
Could barely manage
Her when she is home.
She rips us through shreds
With her crazy mind.
We love her dearly.
We are also scared.

Don't let the doctor
Say she is all right.
We pray for a cure.
Instead they send her
Home worse each time. She
takes it out on us.
It is just not fair.
Perhaps we're too blame.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

POST OFFICE BOX

I stashed away
A billion or
So dollars in a
Post Office Box
On Crenshaw or
Martin Luther
King Boulevard.

If you find the
Post Office Box
Please bring me
Back a few tens
And twenties to
Buy me some smokes
And a soda.

You can take a
Few hundred for
Yourself just for
A finder's fee.
My memory
Is a wreck in
My older days.

I don't know the
Address or the
Name of the place
My money's in.
It was a cash
Checking place or
A liquor store.

Take my picture
With you. They will
Recognize me and
Tell you where my
Post Office Box
Is in. Do not
Forget my smokes
And my soda.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

MY LIFE IS NOT LIVING

Well, I sleep
To forget
And I drink
To forget
As well, and
I drink in
My dreams to
Forget my
Dreams as well.

Wide awake
I'm a stone.
I could look
Past you. That's
No joke. Wide
Awake I
Daydream with
A beer in

My hand. And
My name is
John Doe, but
Even I know
That's not true.
It does not
Matter one
Way or the

Other. I
Keep waiting
For something
Better than
Sleep, better
Than dreams. It
Could be death
Because my

Life is not
Living. Let's
Toss a coin
And see what
Comes up. I'll
Take heads and
You take tails.
I don't care.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

NIGHTMARE AFTER WATCHING THE GODFATHER

Your face is in my dream
On the body of a horse
Racing up in the sky
Without wings.

The head of the horse is
Under the sheets of a film
Producer who was made
An offer
He could not refuse.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

SCHIZOPHRENIA DOESN'T EXIST

No, I just don't want to talk to you.
You just want to get rid of me
Because I am a free spirit.

Jewish people don't want me to
Stay in their hospital. They come
Into my room and make me leave.

I sing my hymns and I pray like
I was taught in my church. I do
Not have to listen to doctors.

I am not underage. I am
Pregnant. I am an adult. I
Have had sex. Thorazine will be

The death of my baby and me.
I don't have schizophrenia.
Because there is no such thing. I

Don't like the bitch, slut, ho, who is
My foster mom. Because of her
I am in this place. She used to

Punch me in the face and force me
To take pills since I was a child.
I bet she gave me crack cocaine.

I'm sensitive. I am of sound
Mind and body. Only when I
Don't take medications am I

Ever in wonderland. I tell you
Schizophrenia doesn't exist.
I have a master's degree in

Everything. I know every song
From my church. I sing them aloud
As possible so God can hear.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

ISOLATION ROOM

I like to stay
In the isolation room.
I usually
Have to do something
I don't like to do
To get sent here.

I hate people.
I like to keep to myself.
So now and then
I pick a fight with someone
To get put in
Isolation.

If I was so
Crazy, why would I be able
To get my way?
Sometimes my actions
Work against me.
I get sent to

Jail instead. They
Press charges. I lose my SSI.
In jail it is
More dangerous. I'm so
Scared of that place.
I need to act

More crazy just
To get put back into a
Hospital, where
I feel much safer. I would
Rather be living
In the streets.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

GIVING BIRTH

These pills are making me pregnant.
They make my feet burn. I don't like them.
I got rode eleven times. I got satellites
Up in me. I got code. I spoke to
The police already. I was robbed.
A bum took my money. I will take
Buffrin. That is all. I collect
Coins for my daily needs. I can feel
My organs. You have to write that down.

I came back to life. Now I'm drinking
Milk again. I don't smoke weed. It
Makes me see ferocious things. I don't
Got a wife. I can't read. You know I'm
Illiterate. I have the old slushing
Disorder. I'm about to give birth.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

FOR A LITTLE WHILE

Whispering,
the earth rattles somehow.
Lost, the voice dies
like unwatered grass.
A snail moves as
fast as it possibly can
delivering the news
about the dead voice, who
sang of snails, of
crickets, and lawns.
A small vigil was
held at night.
Four crickets
started to
sing in unison. Their
song was loud
and was echoed
by all those
present. Birds sang from the
trees, even the wind
chimed in. For a little
while the dead
voice mattered for
those singing in the lawn
and
from the surrounding trees
and plants. The snail moved slowly
in the darkness,
unbothered by predators, who
for a little while stopped
to respect the
voice that died.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

SNOW FACE

GIVE ME A CHANCE

It’s a mistake.
I’m not supposed
to be in here.

I didn’t do
anything wrong.
I forgot to

take my mind pills.
Without them I
get so confused.

I’m better now.
You can see that.
Why can’t I be

let go?  I could
be more careful.
Give me a chance.

Whatever I
did to that poor
homeless woman

I won’t ever
do again?  I
only took her

cart.  She fell all
by herself.  At
least she didn’t

break her hip.  I
never laid a
hand on her.  I’m

going back to
the place she lives
and apologize.

I will bring her
coffee, donuts,
and some spare change.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

ON THE OUTSIDE

I don’t want to stay here
another day.  I think
I deserve a chance to
live in a place where I
could have more freedom.  I
have done everything they
ask me to do here.  I
go to the groups and take
the medications.  I
don’t hurt anyone and
I don’t hurt myself.  I
feel like I am being
punished, victimized for
my past life.  I miss my
parents.  I know I can’t
live with them anymore
because they are old and
ill. I hope my mother
still remembers me.  My
sister and brother-in-
law won’t let me live with
them.  They want me locked up.
They don’t think I could make
it on the outside.  But
I feel so lonely here.
The first thing I’m going
to do when I get out of
here is get me a bus
pass and go to the beach.
I need to meet people
and start my life over.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

THE BEST MATE

I’m the best mate
for a woman ever.
I still have not
met the right one.

As soon as they find
out how passionate
I am they will
be standing in line.

I’m a wealthy man
as well. I’m the heir
to the Chicken
Little Egg Ranch.

My dad’s last name is
Little. Clever, huh.
Our eggs are known
all over the state.

What woman can say
no to a rich guy
like me? You tell
those wacko doctors

that there is not
a thing wrong with
me. I’m here by
accident. I

didn’t break into
the neighbor’s house.
I was just visiting.
But they weren’t home.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

DRAMA QUEEN

Some people can't go home
to their nice families
he muttered to his nurse.
He had a fresh bandage
on his left wrist to go
with the old one on his
right wrist. I don't have a
family like yours. They
make me want to slit my
wrists, which is exactly
what I did. I'm not a
drama queen, like what my
family says about
me. I need to be loved.
Would you care to adopt
me? I think I like you.
You seem to listen to
me, not like the other
workers in this place. Can
I go home with you? I
need a new family.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

I am able
to take care of
myself. Are you
kidding me? The
doctor is a
wacko. Why does
he think I can’t
function in this
world? He does
not know as much
as he thinks. His
medication
is pure poison.
I have lived my
entire life drug
free. His cocaine
will not cure me.
Well, he says it’s
not cocaine, but
what else could it
be? I lose my
balance when I
take his pills. I
spend all day in
the bathroom just
sitting in the
can because of
his cocaine or
whatever name
they give to his
poison. I want
to go back home.
I promise you
I did not set
any fires or
have rotten food
and roaches in
my home. Someone
must have broken
in and did all
that bad stuff. My
neighbors don’t like
me. I’m sure they
are behind this.
I did not do
anything wrong.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

MOVIE STAR

Movie stars don’t
need this kind of
treatment. I will
have Hollywood
on your doorstep
doctor if you
don’t let me go.

My agent will
get on the phone
and have your ass.
You won’t practice
in this town or
anywhere else.
I am a star.

A movie will
be made about
you. People will
know about your
incompetence.
You are making
a big mistake.

I never talked
to myself as
you contend. I
was practicing
my lines. That is

all. I am a
movie star and
you should be fired
for keeping me
in this place. I
am not mad. I
am a big star.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

BORN ON MARS

I was born
on Mars on
a robot
ship. My mom
and dad were
robots and
I was made
from their chips.
I am a
robot too.
I am made
of human
parts as well.
My blood is
oil and grease.
My flesh and
bones are made
of special
fibers and
plastic. My
eyes can see
through walls and
my mind can
read people’s
minds. If I
only had
a brain that
was not sick
or damaged,
I would not
have to be
in this place.
The doctors
think I am
insane. Who
do they think
they’re fooling?
The doctors
are robots
too. They have
diagnosed
me human.
They want to
destroy me
because I
know the truth.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

BAD MEDICINE

I’m sick because
of all the medicine
you give me.

I need to be
home. I don’t like all the
people here.

They are crazy.
They talk to themselves. They
frighten me.

The doctor is
living in my home. I
own this place.

He says I am
Bipolar because he does
not want to

pay the rent. He
thinks he is clever, but
I’m going

to evict him
as soon as these meds stop
making me

feel so sick. I
am stuffed full of his bad
medicine.

It’s poison. I
will have his license for
what he’s done.

There’s nothing wrong
with me. I’m a princess.
This is not

a delusion
when it is true. I’m rich
like Bill Gates.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

THE NEIGHBORS

Why do they refer
to my boy in the
past tense? I know he
is alive. I can
hear him calling me.

I’m sure the neighbors
are hiding him from
me. They always had
it in for him. If
he is dead, which I

don’t believe, then I
think the neighbors killed
my boy. I’m not a
paranoid person.
I’m certain it is

the neighbors again.
They’re spreading lies. They
want to keep me here
away from my boys.
I need to come home.

I need to protect
my sons. They are weak.
They need their mother
to save them from the
satanic neighbors.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

SOME OTHER FACE

Look at my face.
Does it look like
a face at all?

I don’t know who
I am. I don’t
know who I was.

Bring me photos.
Remind me of
the better days.

I don’t recall
if I ever
smiled at all.

Outside I hear
birds singing my
death song. I look

in the mirror
and I look in
my eyes. There is

no life there. I
sigh and hope with
all my might that

this could be a
dream, a nightmare,
some other face.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

THE DOG FROM HELL

I like to take walks,
but I never leave
the house because I’m
deadly afraid of
dogs. I had a bad
incident with a
dog from hell once. It
bit me on my butt.
I have not left the
house since. For twenty
years I've looked outside
my window looking
for that dog from hell.
I fear it’s waiting
for me. I have no
scar or bite mark left,
but sometimes when I
sit down I feel a
little pain. I take
Motrin all the time.
I lost all my friends
because of my fear
of the dog from hell.
Sometimes when I feel
brave, I walk out in
the backyard and I
water the lawn. I
run inside when I
sense the dog from hell
is near. I don’t run
as fast as I used
to, not since that
dog from hell bit me.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

YOUNG AGAIN

Sweetie, I had a hysterectomy.
I haven't been laid in six years.
Why don't you come over and make
an old woman feel young again?

I can't get pregnant anymore.
But if you still need protection
I have a gun in my drawer, which
I used to murder a lame lover.

But I'm certain I won't have to use
it on you. I have a good feeling
about you. I need to feel young
again. Sweetie, I'm here if you want.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

BAD LUCK

I notice the cracks
on the sidewalk.
I step on them. I'm
not superstitious.

I don't want my ma's
back broken 'cause
I couldn't forgive
myself if it was.

When a black cat comes
and crosses my
path, I don't expect
to be unlucky.

But I guess that could
be the reason
why so many bad
things happen to me.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

WISE DOGS

In the footsteps
of wise men. I
stepped on dog dung.The only thing
that stuck was that.These days I seek
the wisdom of
dogs. The voicesof wise dogs bark
and squeal commands.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

UP AND DOWN THE HILL

It's up and down
the hill
for the whole lot
of us.Enigmas
born of thin air
thrust into
the free winds
of now.The whispereds sounds
are here.
We listen
to their commands.They guide us
against our wills.
We take risks
without thinking.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

IN THE MOUNTAINSIDE

In the mountainside
Beyond the smog clouds
Daredevil butterflies
Breed and conspire to
Somersault into
The center of the world.

In the mountainside
Toad-faced butterflies
Are at war. Daredevil
Butterflies fight to
Their last breath. Their wings
Are stained with blood and mud.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

THE NEIGHBOR'S DOG

The neighbor's dog
keeps barking on
purpose so I
cannot sleep at
night.

I have been
watching him from
my window.

The
neighbor's dog wants
to bite me to
death.

He looks so
sinister.

I
would not like to
be alone with
it.

The dog knows
I like cats.

It
considers me
an enemy.
It wants me to
lose sleep.

It barks
so loud.

It sounds
as if it is
saying my name,
telling me I
will not make it
through the night and
I believe the
dog means business.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

(MESSAGES FROM) THE EVENING NEWS

I get messages
from the evening
news.

Weathermen
let me know if
I should stay in
or go out.

The
anchorwomen
give me the eye
and blow kisses
my way.

They are
shameless in their
flirting.

Sometimes
they get jealous
of each other.
They have cat fights
live on air.

I
can't blame them.

I
have so much love
to pass around.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

BIG

I am the casual male,
extra large, just don't call me
big because I don't like that.
In school when they couldn't
pronounce my name they called me
big guy as if that was all
I was. They thought I had no
feelings. If I cried, they said
I was too big to cry. It
bothers me to think of those
things twenty years later. I'm
on prescription medicine
for depression and feelings
of anxiety. I want
smaller pills because I don't
care for the big pills. They don't
go down as easy even
with water. In the shower
I like to keep my clothes on.
I don't like to see myself.
The board and care staff want me
to take off my clothes. They don't
understand how big I feel
when I'm naked in the tub.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

I LOST MY MIND

I lost my mind.
I saw it go
somewhere down a
dark road. There it
went and there it
fell trembling. It
began to speak
without thinking.
It was afraid.
It lost its will
to act in a
reasonable
manner. I lost
all my friends, my
job, and everyone
I loved. I laughed
at everything and
resisted help.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

WATER'S VOICE

Water flows.
In my sleep I hear it
Speaking to me.

The water knows my name.
Its waves whisper
Secrets and gossip.

I feel relaxed.
Still I quite don't trust the water.

I feel myself drowning
When I'm dreaming
As I slip down
As if weighed down with metal.

I wake up in a sweat,
Water's voice
Fresh in my ears.

I go to my kitchen,
Drink a glass of water.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

30 DAYS

How many days
will it take
for me to get well?

The doctor seems
to believe
I will be here for

thirty days. I
wonder if
he can cure me in

thirty days? It
would be great
because I have been

sick since I could
walk. If all
the doctor needs is

thirty days, then
I consent
to be his lab rat.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

MADMAN

A madman
rules
the home.
A madman
feels
he's right.
A madman
saves
his wrath
for those he
calls
his kin.
A madman
kills
his mind.
A madman
end
his life
after he
ends
his kin.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

ACTING OUT

I was so hungry
and grandma wouldn't
give me anything
to eat. I couldn't wait.

I started throwing
things at her head and
now I'm here again.
I tried to hurt my

grandma. I'm sorry.
I always break and
throw things when I get
angry. It's because I'm

sick. I take medicine
to calm down. I hate
acting out. I'm just
like my brother. He's

sick too. Demons talk
to me. It makes me
sad to hear them. They
tell me to hurt others

and to hurt myself.
I'm going home when
I stop acting out.
I want freedom, you know.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

THE EVIL IS LIVING INSIDE OF ME

I need stitches.
I didn't stab myself.
I stabbed the evil
living inside of me.

It will get out
if I'm not stitched up.
I feel it moving
around in my arm.

If I cut my
arm off, could you sew
it back on? I think
the evil is in my

right arm. It is
raping me. The evil
is raping my arm.
Please, somebody stop it.

I need to get
away from people
and from the evil
living inside of me.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

I AM A HORSE

I am a horse.
I am a monkey.
Don't you see?
I am a mockery.

I am a man.
I am an alien.
Don't you know?
I am a liar.

Forgive these
ramblings.
I'm on a
low doze

of meds, which
may or
may not
work well.

I am a horse,
a monkey, a
man, and alien,
and a liar.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

JAM WITH THE VOICES

I would agree
to go to a
board and care.
But do I have
to keep  taking
medicine?
Will they let me
write my music
there?  You  know,
I could not go
to a place where
I can't jam.
I'm a hip  hop
keyboardist and
underground,
not like those fools
you hear on  the
radio.
They lost their game.
They're just a name.
But I'm  real.
I jam with the
voices I hear
in my head.
They come from  a
dark place, darker
than that goat
Lucifer, who
tries to  torture
me like a
terrorist high
on religion.
But for real?
Do I  have to
keep taking this
medicine?
Why can't you fools
just find a  cure
and heal me?

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

GREEN FROGS

Green frogs
appear
like ghosts
croaking
calling
my  name. They splash
in my
bath water
and ask
if I'm
alive. Green frogs
won't stop
making
me fear
for my
sad life. They talk
nonsense.
They want
my death.
I heard
them  talk.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal

LIKE JESUS

I was doing
my thing when they
grabbed me and took
away my rights
as a free man.
I'm more than that.
I am Holy
like Jesus Christ,
like God Almighty.
A man should not
have to walk a
mile to get a
ham sandwich.  I
walked fifteen miles.
I should not have
to pay for it
because of who
I am.  I'm God,
motherfuckers.
Kneel down and pray.
I shall smite you,
all you sinners
sodomites, who
put me in here.

- Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal