Hell is Texas

Laredo Ranchette is home

The biggest attraction in Laredo is a jail

Texas births talent

All hail Queen B

Born and raised

in Webb County

I joke it has caught me in its webs

Sometimes when eating my Cobb salads

I wonder if it's not a joke

Maybe it's why I fell for a jester and became a fool

Never even seen anyone get arrested

Maybe it's too much fuss for lil ole us

There were less than 2,000 people here

when I was 15

Try kicking up dust, going wild child

when everyone's an uncle and auntie

My age of 21 almost reflects the population

a strong 22.

A heavy drop even the elderly got bored

Did I mention Texas is hell?

Summer heat

Cowboys and cowgirls

A touch of Aztec, southern roots, and Mexico

Not so clear about borders in Laredo

Every place and name is engrained

Once known as the Republic of Rio Grande

No one expects lil ole me

Southern Belle

5'5

Silken dark sepia brown skin

Halo Afro

Levi's

Red cowgirl boots

Large golden hoops

Singing along to Miranda

I always answer yeah girl

we should be friends

in my head, we're already the best of friends

Her hair may be a little different and dyed platinum blonde

but the higher the better is still our song

Got a flat when I met you

Handsome, tall, soulful brown eyes

I didn't know had no soul

Fixed my tires, nice and fine

Told you all about me and mine

Mama's burnt peach cobbler

We all loved

Daddy works overseas

My collection of snow globes, he sent me, postcards weren't my thing

Grandaddy's bible, firm hand, and sermon

I couldn't blame being late on traffic, not in a town of 22, now 23

Tia Jessie meant to fix up her beaten up truck

I thought it kismet, how you came to me, a girl stuck in hell

Me, you asked about me, something no one did, they didn't need to, they saw me around town

I wished I had more to tell, you seemed travelled, and beyond a girl from a very small town

Lived in Laredo, Texas my whole life

Did I mention it was hell?

You filled my summer days with wonder, and summer nights with passion

A spark of something during our first kiss, your strong hands on my waist, greedily I possessed your mouth, sucked your tongue

Hidden away in a field of sunflowers we snuck off with a bottle of vodka

I laughed at how you grabbed the pink Arizona ice teas from the fridge, you were afraid straight vodka would burn me

Been sipping since I could talk

teething toddlers relaxed with a lil whiskey on their gums

An old wives tale, that spun generations, and you could not tell these women it was wrong

Not unless you didn't mind their strong wills having a crack with more than words

Watch your balls

On our blanket in the fields I listened to you rattle on about this and that

Your Cuban accent, a mixture of Latin beats and African drums

A whisper in my ear

It's unpleasant when I remember

Your voice comes with your lies

You did it so damn well

Naive girl

No matter

My tears are all dry

I'll be leaving soon

headed somewhere to find out who I really am

The girl without the love she once had

No not love

For you I was a big score

For me you were EVERYTHING

I'll come back when I'm buried in Granddaddy's land

Or when the dust settles and you no longer have hold of me

You might think of me as superficial

A small town girl looking for the big escape

Mama's died

She left the summer after you

Daddy's gone

He buries his pain in work

Jessie left a note and disappeared

She and Mama were more than sisters

A 15 year generational gap, still they were best friends till the end

You remember how I didn't have friends

I told you, you were my first

A laugh and a lie

You claimed you were just as shy

You took more than my heart

All for money

Maybe laughs

Granddaddy's still around

For now so am I

Hell has dancing flames

Texas has guns

Granddaddy says he's got a bullet with your name

Tried to warn ya

But Jessie called from Nashville

Sounds like the place for me

Where you're going I ain't headin'

Packed my bags

Ready to go

Grandaddy got friends down in Mexico

Did I ever tell ya about his bounty hunting days?

You better ran

boy he'll catch ya

Part 1 of Summer in Hell