Flirting With The Past

Sepia-tinged nostalgia lures everyone in sooner or later. It's tempting to skip back over bridges burned so long ago we can't remember which one of us even held the match anymore. Everyone has plenty of emotional blind-spots. But how do you validate a memory when the one who holds the other half of your recollection is gone forever? Reyes Cardenas' newest writing collection, Flirting With The Past, oscillates between themes of ageing out of childhood and returning to a place that no longer exists. He's adopted a swift couplet-style, which is perfect because Cardenas' meter is quick bursts of expressive, combustible imagery. If the Barrio Gods allowed the 12-year old you to peek behind the curtain and speak with the 60-year old you, would you ask what happens to Dad- to Lupita- to Pete with the Honda bike? Most likely, you'd find "sometimes your past and your future / meet up with each other to destroy themselves".