saluting
warplanes from Nellis Airforce Base
rumbling
over the coughing canyons casino smoke
forgetting
the fighting & suffering abroad
cranking
the game on full blast & rooting for the home team
ignoring
the foul valley smog
the insolent DMV clerk
the incompetent Taco Bell take-out window
the ding in the door
from the stray Walmart shopping cart
wondering
about the big brown spots in the front yard
worrying
about the accent lighting & curb appeal
inhaling
the freon, the soda ash & chlorine
squinting
into the shine of luxury sedans
chipping
away the faux finish of affluence
munching
on the red clay roofs of cookie-cutter tract homes
crying
over spilled grande latte
bathing
in Evian–
the carsick desert
dry heaves
a gorgeous horizon.