mechanical bull

sweet maria, there is dew on the roses cut for you

and mechanical bulls in the plains railroads were spiked to.

oh! when the levee broke, every chevy sunk like a stone skipped against

the riverbed from the shore where the ripples end.

sweet maria said,

“for christ’s sake,

give me a goddamn break!”

then the flood came & washed

travis county, texas, away.

stomachs stuffed full of fishing lures;

the beer got warm in the cooler.

half a bathtub frames our lady of lourdes.

we caught no fish, just drowned some worms.

i bumped in to the devil on the street

“don’t i know you?” he says. i says, “maybe.”

he asked me where i’m heading, i told him and amused

the devil said, “funny that’s where i’m going too.”

“for christ’s sake,

give me a goddamn break!”

then the flood came & washed

travis county, texas, away.