Albuquerque Tries

Albuquerque tries to be BIG
Another Phoenix or Denver
All those others coming here and bringing their citified mock ups with them
We even have a baseball team—the Isotopes
Now that’s a distinctive name
Capturing what we’re really about
Radiation
Yeah
Never mind the thousands of years of history before the dropping of the atomic bomb
There’s nothing like an explosion
Pow
Pop
To stop
And stick us
In time
My cat and I sit on the stoop enjoying the coolness of the twilight
I eating my bowl of pinto beans and red chile
She keeping a half cocked eye on the playful kittens wandering back her way
Cats like people
Aren’t happy unless they are worried
She’s very happy
She has to watch those other cats night and day

Summers are so good here I might never leave again
A big shade tree
Some green grass
Cool nights and searing days
The stereo cranked up with BB King
Red Earth—you’re red delicious—and Ariana Tikao
Bringing a little Maoridom to the Land of Enchantment

I contemplate the news that Social Security will probably be cut by half the year after I had planned to retire and be totally bankrupt before I die
I think it’s time to get a new career
One with a little longevity and good pay
I’m thinking about becoming a tatooist
Just as soon as I have time to practice my drawing
Hmmm!

In the mornings I hear only the chatter of birds
A little piece of country in the city
I bike to my classes in five minutes
Life can be very simple
And very content
6/25/05