Albuquerque

Albuquerque is just like Las Vegas
I think from 20,000 feet
Dark, forboding, silent mountains
and then suddenly a gleaming square in the desert
Holding a five-day promise
holding a five-day threat
a flighty fighty five-day fight or flight and

Albuquerque is just like Las Vegas
I think from 20,000 feet
Except of course the lack of casinos
Except of course that it's not just a tourist lie
Every godamn building really is made of adobe
and I always wondered why southwestern art
is dirt brown and sky blue
leather and tourqoise
and now I know
and now I

Albuquerque is just like Las Vegas
I think from 20,000 feet
Except for the Latina Latino Chicano Mexicanos
quietly speaking their bilingual poetic ramblings
in that lilt that makes me rub my pale skin in envy
mi hermosa
mi familia
coyote
coyote
coyotes are real here
and sing for me coyote
sing the song of the Nueve Mexicano sun I never got to see
sing the song of the dirt I never got to plunge my hands into
sing the song of

Albuquerque is just like Las Vegas
I think from 20,000 feet
Except for when you drove me down a deserted desert road
and read me a dirty poem
and let me kiss you
Except when you took me home
and I fell asleep on your couch with your pit bull
and you took me by the hand
and you took me to the bathroom
and you took me to your bedroom
and you took me

Albuquerque is just like Las Vegas
I think from 20,000 feet
Except of course that you are here
and Albuquerque is just like Las Vegas
I think from 20,000 feet
except of course that

except of course

except of course that

except

Copyright 1998, Jason Pettus. All rights reserved.