mr. miyagi has left the santa fe mcdonald’s

there are no mirrors in the men’s restroom
and the staff has to buzz you in
*after* you buy something

stress and exhaustion is evident in nm
everywhere depression-level poverty
cars barely moving
for fear of something falling off
at the next pothole

i am my
skiing
companions
rush by
stream up
the mountain

snow this year
came late
so
the line in the rental shop
to pick up equipment and treats
is an hour
to
pick
my
pre-ordered
shit
up

thus
i am in the perfect coffeeshop book store combo
there are a lot around here
not sure how they pay rent
but perhaps it is a fun bauble
for a wealthy woman
who’s husband is off
dubai ski mountain business meeting
making the biscuits
so the wheels go round
but the commerce here
is in words coffee and community
the small stage begs
for poets
readers
musicians
activists

meanwhile
mcdonalds is a lifeline
a coffee with 10 sugars
is no substitute for nutrition
but
will do
in a pinch
frostbite warning text from the mountain

i restore my position
in the bookstore
find a working outlet
and push these keys on a keyboard
like a flare shot into the air
i call to you
to
live
closer to the humans
the ones on the edge
are fragile and need our

what
exactly

mr. miyagi has left the santa fe mcdonald’s
bound for another warm perch
until the mgmt
sweeps out the empty and discarded
asks me to order with a computer
a big screen
no human
they are busy
trying to get the ice cream machine back online

01-13-24

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