Lori starts to say Sandia
aloud, over a cocktail
aswirl with questions
about a lost spelling bee.
She tilts her chin upward
so her lower jaw
raises her lower lip
to close the gap to her upper lip.
Lori is not from the mountains
but from the rift we call a valley
that supports the Rio Grande
while waiting for the bottom to drop out.
She parks and walks into fast food joints
never utilizing drive-thrus.
She refuses to attend strip malls
in a city rife with asphalt.
copyright © 2023 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 