Mojave desert. California.
Hot days and cold nights. I like extremes.
Sand wherever you look and imagine the
power of a windstorm at midnight.
I'm tired, been driving all day and
into the dark with sand blinding
me so I can barely follow the road.
I see a sign. Oasis Motel. I stop.
Vacancy yes. I drop my bags in the
room. A sign warns "look for scorpions
before taking a shower". OK.
I'm moving cross country from
Seattle to Nashville. I'm skipping
out on an unpaid bill. A promise
of marriage. The object of my
desire lost her luster over time.
An oft told story in my biography.

Why can't I stay together with
one woman like my dad?
60 plus years!
I wish in the morning I could walk
into a different life where I'm
some kind of normal.
The winds died down.
I hope the gunshot is not too loud.