As Gringos Do

There are two couples sitting
at the table next to me,
all from North America,
gringo land. 
I hear one couple say that they’re
from Minnesota.
I can hear this because they are
talking so loud,
as gringos do.

Oh how nice, the other couple says,
they’re from Virginia, they say.
And on it goes.
I try to ignore them,
but then they start comparing travel notes
as gringos do.

“We just got back from Guatemala City”
says Minnesota wife,
“There’s nothing to see in Guatemala City”,
she adds.
“Oh, yes, we know,” says Virginia wife,
“We went there too.  It was so disappointing.”

I glance over at them.
They are all fat, well fed, bloated,
fending off diabetes with medication.
The waiter shows up to take their order.
“What’s this?” says Minnesota husband
pointing at something on the menu.
The waiter explains in broken English
that it is chicken with rice and beans.
“Oh, no,” says Minnesota husband,
“I’m so sick of rice and beans.”

The people in this country subsist
on rice and beans.
The waiter just waits patiently.
Minnesota husband finally locates
a hamburger and fries on the menu
and orders that,
as gringos do.

I wish this country would enact
a new visa rule:
that gringos from North America
are welcomed to visit
and spend their dollars
but they are forbidden
to speak English. 
And since none of them
will take the trouble
to learn Spanish,
that means they will have to be silent,
and I wouldn’t have to hear them
constantly vomit forth
their myopic
colonialist
spoiled-rotten
self-important
condescending
opinions.

I finish my meal in silence,
enforcing my own rule.