Niland

Running along the washed up debris
That line the banks of the Salton Sea
Loons darting to and from my hand
Nested inside a Budwiser can

The Chocolate Mountians are in full bloom
On this late Imperial afternoon
Dusted children fill the sky
As they hide from rangers driving by

Concrete romance of this place
An old abandoned Marine base
Fallen ceilings and rotting wood
On a corner where tribunals once stood

And the mail came late today
Sending welfare mothers into disarray
Lettuce pickers bow and bless
Another compadre picked up by the INS
Builder Bill has another show at the Range tonight
In Slab City where the snow birds take their flight
As long as the generator goes
You'll see the stars in forever streaming flows