A Grito Contest in the Afterlife

In Heaven, there is a man who is muy macho

Perhaps a singing cowboy

With a pistol and a six-string

That turns his song into a scream

Parting the clouds, shouting

So long to desire, so long to pain

Soon, he is a met by a woman who is muy macha

Perhaps it’s my tía from Texas, rest in peace,

The one who slung curses under her breath

But kept a collection of baby Jesus figurines

She sees the man, tips her hat

And yells so long to her grief

Saint Peter

gut hanging out his wifebeater

opens his top-story window

and tells them both to shut the fuck up

But you can't stop what's about to happen

A crowd gathers

one by one, they come up

testing their might

Vendors serve beer, instant noodles,

peanuts with the hot peppers and lime

Bets are placed

Everybody is happy

Nobody loses

All is forgiven

I hear them when it’s dark and quiet

It can keep me up at night

But eventually I sleep better

Knowing there’s something after this