An Old Barn By The Side Of The Fields Of Hay Poem by RIC BASTASA

an old barn by the side of the fields of hay
is nothing but an old barn to your eyes
miguelito
this barn has been here ten years ago and it will be here
for another more years with you

father always
had it repaired before he died and when i take charge
i still come here and think once in a while
what is in this barn
that refuses to be broken
something that negates
the art of losing

it is the memory of my youth
it was here where the hay smelt pungent
for the first time

it was here when i was first
deflowered

changed

don't laugh, it was here that i felt
the first squirt of
my manhood, and her name was not that important
in fact,
she was laughing because i was trembling and she was
so crazy

trying to really teach me, in this old barn that refuses to be broken
in all the years
when our father teased us: weaklings.