POEM - Life in Mesa: 1981

The life in Mesa was different

I had never considered

That a desert was a place

That people would think of

As a place they would live

But there was plenty of evidence

From the large swaths of cleared land

To the half constructed houses

Dotting the empty dirt fields

On every side of our neighborhood

I liked it because it was fun

To run through the stark hills

And play on the bulldozers

Earth movers and backhoes

The smell of grease and diesel

Like an inviting and alluring sent

That year I watched intently

As the space shuttle shot up

Straight into space

Only to miraculously return

Three days latter

Knowing that interstellar flight

Must be just around the corner

But I didn’t waste a lot of time on that

Mostly I beg for a quarter

So I could go to the public pool

Or a dollar on special days

So I could ride up to the Circle K

Get a slushy drink or two

Then casually ride home

Sipping the frozen confection

As a protection

From the warm breezes of summer