The Marlboro Man, addled with love poems,
Begins to act strangely...
He treats his horse like a house pet
And sits at home in the afternoons,
Watching Oprah and Rachael Ray.
Sick of sagebrush,
He trades in his old black skillet
For a dream kitchen.
"For god's sake pull yourself together" nags his cigarette-steeped sister
As her kids finger his figurines.
He quits smoking,
Gives up huckstering.
The Lesbians next door buy him a rainbow
--a real one!--
Which he places in the yard between the trellis
And the barbecue.
In the evenings,
There is the sound of Gato Barbieri drifting from his windows;
No buttes
No diamondback rattlers.
Just
The Marlboro Man
Reading the Advocate
In the peace of the almost midnight.
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For me, this is a masterpiece. It is just so clever and poignant and even if it made one person think twice, it has done its job. Well done Shay! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, K. Your comment means a lot.
ReplyDeleteThsi is soooo funny and great
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tex!
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome!
ReplyDelete"As her kids finger his figurines."
ReplyDelete"The Marlboro Man
Reading the Advocate
In the peace of the almost midnight" ... Yeah, of course he can't sleep because he's turned himself into something he's not. It's the grown-up thing to do, after all.