Rasquache Gas Station

Rasquache Gas Station

vacant buildings now
pawn shops
mexican restaurants farmer’s insurance
traffic ticket offices
out of work so he buys a gas station
for lease re-doing the inside-outside
with buckets of paint
curandera brown
and vanilla white
new floors tiled like stained
glass windows as he
cracks white peppered linoleum
with a mallet
Diamond Shamrock made
turned Treinta tres eatery
and tropical curtains and palms
finish the scene
it’s in his blood to see this
‘cause El Pasoans’
are hybrydity we know how to do it yourself
out of a grim situation how to collect that American
dollar with hustle
its this burning sensation
that climbs the bones in our feet
to our spine occupying both heart and left lobe
‘cause when the ability to buy groceries
diminishes like ash from burnt paper
a drive in our nature kicks in
a supernatural power
than anybody with mexican
in their genes can call upon
maybe it was a mexican
that inspired Stan Lee
to create stories
of super abilities
yes humans know how to survive
when they need to but
we do it better
and innovate with what we have
in Mexico we ate ants with tortillas
in Mexico we eat pan fried ants with tortillas
in El Paso we re-design gas stations
into something new
we re-imagine the blueprint
that was first imagined
we give a new symbol
to these once gas pumping
corner stores
once painted tricycle red
now wedding cake pink
pumps dressed up
with cantina lights
green yellow white
corona extra signs
replaced budwieser
the cosmic race in live action
for our family selfless acts
keep us moving because we want
our kids to trade Little Debbie snacks
at recess with their friends
because they know they can
do something more with the crackers
and hot sauce than schoolmates so we sell
tacos in reborn pump stations
new life sold at 4.99
a lunch plate with a drink
-- A.J. Lechuga