Poets and artists published in Spectrum Online Edition: Open Window are invited to read at the Saturday Afternoon Poetry Zoom meeting on Saturday, November 19th between 3 and 5 pm PDT.

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozabal

Barely Alive


Overtaken by the dying light

that leaves me hungry for more.

I stay in bed barely alive

while oblivion feeds on my dreams.


I pull out my hair but leave my

teeth alone. I no longer

desire to love anyone.

The open window lets in fresh air.


I rush out to feel the cool wind,

the fresh air, hoping it takes 

my anguished feelings away.

I wish I could forget about you.

I am back in bed barely alive 

and all I can think about is you.




The Passenger 


The passenger rides through

the city at night humming 

Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life.

He takes a puff on a 

cigarette and throws it out

the open car window. Ash

and smoke fills the air and

the potholed streets. He plays

a drum beat on his blue jean’d

legs. He thinks he is worth a

million in prizes, no longer

sleeping on the sidewalk, a

passenger in a grand theft

auto. With police sirens blaring

and helicopters following,

the driver is going through

all stop signs and red lights.

He is real wild one, a real wild 

child, since he was in one.

He’s humming I Wanna Be

Your Dog. The passenger is

planning to bail at the next

red light. He has decided

to do a small strip tease dance

for the television cameras 

if given the chance.




Make Change 


Has anyone ever smiled upon you?

If I was you, I would certainly hope so.

Without hope and that elusive smile

this universe might as well not exist.

Has anyone said hello to you and meant 

it? If you think this is no big deal, you

need to understand the importance of

such things. Without kindness, what

good is the world? Make change when

change is needed. Come equipped 

with a smile. Look out the window and

be amazed at what you see and hear.

If that does not make you smile, you

need to keep looking and your ears 

open, and pull up a chair until that


feeling of hope fills your heart. There 

is a bird outside singing his best song

for all to hear. If that does not make you

enjoy the moment, you need to check

your head, compose a song of your own,

and feel the freedom to create. Do not

close your mind. Light a candle for

the less fortunate. If you can’t compose 

a song, jot down a few verses. Let out

the human soul you contain within.

Live in reality and dream in surreal

worlds. Be the bird that sings for all.


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