the muck and the mud dried in my hair.
i climbed through the window that had served
as a painful entrance hours before.

the trek to downtown Tulsa was one I knew well.
the journey was nightly for months, and existence was
brief each time.
the car ride was long and bumpy. i pitied the shocks beneath
me as they screamed with each hit.
they never saw them coming.

my friends crowded the cab and the heat
****** salty sweat from my pores. with every pull from the whiskey
bottle, i traded sanity for spirit.
music floated through the heavy, dense air--
Combat Rock or Bowie's deep cuts.
cigarettes burned holes in our chests and
our bodies ached in maddening delight.

i turned the wheel,
my fingertips surreal.
we pulled in, stepped out, and felt the bass race up our legs.
3 minutes in the building and we were all covered in glitter
and shining on the inside.