We lost Omar.

————

We decided to go all the way out

to the town of Sanger for lunch,

and after lunch, try to find

Omar’s grave at the Sanger Cemetery.

Some of the restaurants we considered

were Fermin’s Steakhouse, another DiCicco’s

Italian Restaurant, the Highway 180 Café,

or maybe the Chuck Wagon, for chili dogs.

We drove east on Belmont Avenue to Academy,

where Buzz Kavoian’s restaurant once was, now

The Blossom Trail Café, with many cars,

the parking lot was full, we had to wait

to be seated. But we got a table by the window.

I watched as old friends Ron and Megan

parked their car and walked in.

(She, the current poet laureate of Fresno)

They were seated right away in the other room.

I left Paul and went and spoke with them.

They were ending a drive of the Blossom Trail,

when lunch sounded good. I told them I was

with Paul on our Wednesday lunch spot hunt.

We settled here because of the cars in the lot,

a good sign of where the locals eat.

Back at the table, Paul ordered a Philly Cheese

Steak Sandwich, with sliced grilled beef

mixed with green bell peppers and onions,

smothered in melted Swiss cheese.

I ordered a Club Sandwich, a triple-decker

with turkey, bacon, and ham, lettuce,

tomato, and cheese served on white bread.

Our next stop was the Sanger Cemetery

to take Paul to the grave of our mutual friend,

the pioneer Chicano poet, Luis Omar Salinas.

We had to go to the Kings River

where we found the cemetery gates open.

I remembered that hot July afternoon,

his lid open for one last good bye,

and the approximate area where he was buried.

I spent an hour looking, someone must have

stolen the rectangular concrete marker

that said: Luis Salinas (1937–2008).

I remember it, but now it is gone from here.

Paul said he needed to get home soon,

so we left with no success in finding Omar.

By Stephen Barile

From: United States