The Masked Men of Salinas

In the salt flats of Salinas
In the North of Argentina
Two men sit with machetes
With their legs crossed one by one
In the blinding midday sun
Carving llamas out of pure rock salt
With their heads covered by ski masks
And their eyes covered by sunglasses
They remind me of the terrorists from Munich
Who stood out on that balcony
In that September of '72
But they're not here playing games
Of murder and distortion
Not fighting for any cause
They think is worth to die for
Not raising any flag in defeat or destruction
Just carving out their sculptures
In the salt flats of Salinas
Doing what they do for three pesos or a dollar

On the salt flats of Salinas
I stand with the sky above me
As the salt stretches on forever
It could just be a dream
Like a white lake from Narnia
The clouds they are sporadic
And the blue fills in the background
While yesterday's rains left puddles
That spread out like pools of mercury
Silver and reflecting
The high clouds up above me
And my wet sneakers below
And my pockets full of pesos
And my heart full of longing
For something unspecific
Something clearly not defined
That had only been hinted at
In poem and in prose
I'd seen at times in trailers
Of Gerome and Michaelangelo
and in that self-portrait at the Met
Of Marie-Denise Villers

I pull three pesos from my pocket
And buy myself a llama
That is soon wrapped up in newspaper
And is all set now to travel
Back to my bookshelf in New York
And find itself a home
With other scrapbooks and mementos
I'd picked up along the way
In my search for something undefinable
And there I would soon get back
In the swing of my routine
Maybe go get myself a latte
To warm myself in winter
To wake me, get me going
And Boost my productivity
That one hot large soy latte
Made behind a counter in 10 seconds
That I pay for in my dollars
That would buy 5 salt llamas
Made by the masked men of Salinas
Neath the brightest sun I'd ever seen
That will burn you in 10 minutes
If you're not well covered up
And if you don't pay attention

I'm a tourist by trade
I visit then I'm on my way
That's certainly been a pattern
I see in my experiences
But In the salt flats of Salinas
In the North of Argentina
I'd like to stay a few more hours
And take in all this expansion
Then maybe drive to Bolivia
Or another destination