Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Why is Miami the color of eggs
fried over-medium and Colby cheese,
and not of South Beach discos -
pale turquoise and peach
washed with mold?
Why is Vegas the color
of Dollar Store Christmas lights
and tie-dyed mustard
instead of back street casinos in Reno -
purple chips floating in the bottom of a pool
and day old buffets?
New York fades into LA,
Minneapolis slides towards St. Paul,
Seattle remains gray and moss green,
a coffee-laden cliché
that'll never be mistaken for Nogales.
Every small town seems painted
with the same palette -
a mix of Wal-Mart,
McDonald's,
7-11,
Castles -
A and W orange now a pho shop,
the 88 cent store an antique store,
its goods made mid-90's.
I would return to the pure tints of Jalisco,
to melon daiquiris,
outlaw iguanas,
butterflies and parrots,
to baby turtles struggling against the tide;
but I'm as gray as the sand at Wash-A-Way Beach,
as stuck to place adventureless
as a clam in Mukilteo mud.
Dry river beds fill with condos
and cross walks
the color of ruptured tires
and snow piles in the mall parking lot.
Dolphins split the Sea of Cortez,
gray whales stir Banderas Bay;
Fargo is
and Tacoma.
Writer's Hood, the best poetry on the web, at http://www.writershood.com/
Poets for Peace.... ¡Poemas sí, balas no!
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