Jose Chapa

About Some Boots

My dad was shot in the back
as he walked out of a bar.

I was waiting for him on the sidewalk
across the street,
and when he fell
I ran as fast as the bullet,
but it took me a lifetime to realize
I would never reach him.

We buried him in his only pair of boots,
which my mother cleaned before the ceremony.

In my whole life
it was the first time I saw them
shine.

Jose Chapa (Mission, TX, 1990) published his first book of poems, Pájaros de Pólvora, at the age of 18. His work has been featured in a number of Mexican literary journals, and was included in three anthologies. He currently resides in McAllen, Texas, where he translates contemporary Mexican fiction into the English language.