brian yapko

WHAT KIND OF CLUB?

Around midnight and in a few sleepless hours 
we’d fly to Cuzco. Out this late was the only 
chance Vince and I had to enjoy Lima’s club 
scene in Mira Flores, an exotic world of 
impossible late-night crowds, where Hectór
told us we’d find bronze tans, trim mustaches
and tight pantalones.  On the busy street the 
straights knew us and stared. Then my pupils 
dilated at the sight of a movie-handsome man 
driving a brown-eyed Audi. He stared at me. 
I gave him the quickening-of-my-heart smile. 
He paused. Then he spit onto the street and 
sneered the word maricón with all the malice of 
the high school boys who pushed me into gym 
lockers and mocked me with the “f” word that 
rhymes with jag and reeks of bruises and tears. 
Maricón.  I trembled. Vince just laughed. Let’s 
go back to the posada, I begged. Vince, younger 
than me, stronger and undamaged, said 
hell-to-the-no. We finally found the address 
in a dark side-alley. It was guarded by a tall man 
in uniform who wanted our passports and who 
inquired coldly why we were there. Vince said 
we had heard this was a club. What kind of club? 
el macho asked, staring us down. Vince said for 
music, to dance. El macho stood, loomed over us 
and in a gruff voice repeated  Que tipo de club? 
I saw Vince’s eyes narrow. Then, despite the sneers, 
the slurs, the gun clearly visible in el macho’s 
holster, the dodginess of the dark alley, the jet-lag 
and our broken Spanish, Vince grabbed my hand, 
pulled me to him and pressed his lips to mine, 
confident and hard. I cringed, turned red and got
ready to run. But the guard nodded gravely, gave 
us back our passports and said muy bien, you may 
enter. As we passed, el macho smiled the secret 
smile of  those who know that true bravery may 
be found in a simple kiss. Enjoy yourselves, 
he called after us in broken English.

BRIAN YAPKO IS A LAWYER WHOSE POEMS HAVE APPEARED IN MULTIPLE PUBLICATIONS, INCLUDING PROMETHEUS DREAMING, TOFU INK, CAGIBI, POETICA, GRAND LITTLE THINGS, THE SOCIETY OF CLASSICAL POETS, CHAINED MUSE, TEMPERED RUNES, GARFIELD LAKE REVIEW, SPARKS OF CALLIOPE, ABSTRACT ELEPHANT AND OTHERS. HIS FIRST NOVEL EL NUEVO MUNDO WILL BE PUBLISHED IN SUMMER, 2022 BY REBEL SATORI PRESS. HE LIVES IN SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO.