A town of 10'000 virgins - Mather Schneider

Natalia buys a big altar candle

lights it and places it at the foot of the giant Virgin of Guadalupe

down near the fishing docks

hoping this will help her heal and be whole and happy again

the Virgin’s got seagull shit on her face

we watch the men pull their boats down

and slip them into the water

a couple men get into an argument because it’s crowded

it is a beautiful sunny morning and the sea is as calm

as blue stationary before the plastic is ripped off

other boats are coming in already

filled with slimy fish covered in flies

we decide to take a walk and go down to the Malecon

where the vendors are as aggressive as piranha

trying to sell us stupid worthless junk

sunset cruises where the tourists get blasted on cheap tequila

and the music booms so loud it breaks the pelicans’ eardrums

we look for whales but see none

just the big rusty shrimp boats miraculously floating out there

we walk through the charming streets above the Malecon

think how quaint it would be to own one of the cute little houses

with a balcony and an ocean view each day

all the balconies are empty

I suppose people get bored of it

and we’d get bored of it too

there’s the lighthouse restaurant up on the rocky hill

the highest point in town

the only people who can afford to eat there are wealthy travelers

almost every house we walk by has a Virgin statue

or a Virgin painted on the patio wall

or in a tile mosaic

each with that same sad face

a town of 10,000 Virgins

it’s been so long since we’ve made love I feel like a virgin myself

we hold hands as we stroll down the avenue

we don’t say much

Natalia moves her lips in silent prayer

I think about that glass of vodka

big as an altar candle

I will pour down my throat when we get home