earth note 726

albuquerque

the rio grande is hanging on

to its small pools of baby tears

when the road outta here

is too dry to make you weep

you can train your eyes toward california

& the glitz of every rose bowl stealth beach town

where you lose yourself to the freeways

you might as well shed new mexico cold

for the new concrete

not so much a shelter but a tomb

i've already forgotten what it means

or how to walk that straight walk

sometimes the feet find their own way

shake you out of your boots to barefoot

there are things i need to relearn

     now

there are only so many sunsets

to imagine      so i continue to imagine

consider this something of an apology

certainly not an atonement

the land will eventually make you cry

& then lead you home

--- e b bortz