Mala Entraña

You grew up among thugs,
Hoodlums, and bullies,
Among shady people
You developed your action;
Because of your appearance, in the suburb
Balconies flourished,
And you achieved the conquest
Of sensitive hearts
With your established prestige
As a handsome and manly man.

Rare mix of magnate
Born in the slums,
You are the flowery street
That came to the slum.
Corner tough guy,
Who only changed clothes!
I think, every time I see you
Throwing yourself at a character,
That you are a mixed bird catcher
With a thrush's whim.

Thug of the pavement,
You gambled away with a punch
The fortune with which your old lady
Could live for a whole month,
Impassive in front of the chips,
In the nights of gambling
Or in the circus of Palermo,
When with a swift move
You lose for a neck
The coin you have.

And that's why you established
Your indifferent sign,
Insensitive to the flattery
Of life and suffering;
Your poor mother died,
And on the marble of your forehead
Not a shadow, not a wrinkle
That would reveal, eloquently,
That your mother was not a dog,
And that you know how to feel...

But in the end everything ends
In this sordid life
And even the straightest one wrinkles
If they make it bend;
You, who are more uptight
Than a lunchbox fabric,
God forbid that you get caught
By the bad, lousy life,
Because if not, like a wire,
I'm going to see you unravel.