new poem

. . . . .

BEWARE

CUIDADO

picture rattlesnakes off the interstate

of the Chihuahuan Desert

rubber strewn about

ghost towns

when warning signs

were cross-country ventures

DANGER

CUIDADO

the tag on the gas heater reads inside

another duplicate of

the shitty apartments I always rent

broken thermocouples

wrinkled condom packets from disuse

a hundred-thousand more people

here but I haven’t met any who have climbed mountains

–that’s not true actually, there was that man from Tinder–

I haven’t met anyone who owns a mountain

to offer me instant coffee or instant happiness

starting over used to be New Mexico sand and Texas sun

now it’s gathering the strength from deep within my center-self

to try on newness when my bones are tired and

hey, I’ve been here before

☀