In a central Texas small town
wine bar, barista says
you have a lot of guts
wearing that color, and I
remember you have to coordinate
your wardrobe with football schedules
here the way you check graffiti in Chicago
to avoid unintended provocations
when you cross boundaries
that appear unmarked
to unschooled eyes.
I hadn’t thought
the pickups swerving toward me
in this rain were fashion statements,
but now I know. And when
I wade back to the sidewalk
through the flood that follows
a half inch rain where everything
is paved, I keep one eye on the critics
while I imagine the divine in sprawling
cities of pickup trucks.
It’s the same here in Edinburgh, especially on match days!
A fact to consider:
“Texas is big in many small ways.”