> Hello Gary,
I like the general tone and movement of this poem a lot. I didn´t get all of the references to places but I think I could follow the argument. I liked the way the language and phrasing flows along, the poem feels full of things and images and that works very well, IMHO. I understand, also, that the `I´ in the poem who is `as grey as the sand at Wash-Away-Beach´ is not the same `I´ that wrote the poem ;-)
Best wishes, Mike
> Lähettäjä: Gary Blankenship <[log in to unmask]>
> Päiväys: 2004/01/12 ma PM 07:32:19 GMT+02:00
> Vastaanottaja: [log in to unmask]
> Aihe: New: Once Upon a Time in Mexico
>
> 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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