the places where it does not rain in poetry

did you ever make it out
to boron, california?
just a dusty little crossroads
between Vegas and L.A.
but there’s some two thousand people
whose ancestors ended up there
in the middle of two nowheres
and their children are still
living there today

it’s your job to see the places
not too many people go
it’s your job to know the things
not too many people want to know
it’s your job to recognize
the here and there
from the million in-betweens
it’s your job to know
you’re not the only one
preaching to the squirrels and bird
learning all the dying words
but here and there
you have a little fun

a karoake bar in Guatemalan
street gang territory
across from the drug store
where hookers warm themselves at night
a bodega in East Bushwick
where at any hour of the day
they make a hot egg sandwich
up just right
Fort Morgan Colorado
where they bury junkie gods
who saw the future but
could never beat the odds
across from a Dairy Queen
it’s your job
to see the things unseen

the Albequerque Cracker Barrel
on the run from your own ghosts
the Taco Bell in Winslow
divested of the Eagles lyric boasts
a diner snowing on Raton
broken-families running to the coast
did you ever get to Reno
past the rusted El Caminos
did you ever find a home
between two oceans spitting foam
or did you get to boron, california
did you ever beat the odds?

Last updated June 28, 2016