She didn’t
answer the phone
On the first, second,
or third ring
My heart
started to lose hope
As I stood in
the noonday sun
Just as I was
about to leave
Someone picked
up the phone
Again my heart
faded
As a man’s
voice said
She wasn’t home
To call back
later
So I did
But first
I thought about
her all day
In the canyons
beyond Pecos
Where I once
saw a man
In a dusty,
tumbleweed bar
We stopped at to
get ice
And have a beer
Pull birds out
of his sleeve
It wasn’t trick
photography on TV
It was up close
and magical
I was thirty
then
A few years
older now
But the minute
We walked into
the bar
My face colored
From the day’s
sun
Our eyes met
And I knew at
that moment
There was
something between us
But, I didn’t
know
That we would
go
To a Powwow
together
After I took a
shower
At her place
I didn’t know
That we would
listen
To men pounding
a drum
In the
scorching desert sun
As shrill voices
pierced the wind
I didn’t know
The same night
I gave her a
copy
Of one of my
favorites books
She would leave
her adobe house
With a
boyfriend
She had failed
to tell me about
As I was
getting ready
To leave her
And the desert
behind
I ended up
talking
With her
neighbor
A friendly
Peruvian man
About the time
Some Marines on
leave
Beat him
And left him
brain damaged
As I listened
to his tragedy
We watched a
movie
With Sitting
Bull’s face
On the cover
About how the
west was lost
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