Norman MacLeod Poems >>
Antidote (Nogales, Sonora, Mexico)

Topers in Nogales
Prefer the Greaser's Side;
Laws are not astringent,
  Thirst is deified...

Mountains mauve and beryl,
Their ragged ends awry,
Piercing through the topaz
  Melted in the sky.

Cactus silhouetted
Against the fading glow;
Autumn night winds blow.
Silenced palm trees quiver;

(Rustle in the mesquite
And foot upon the grass!
Do the yuccas mutter?
  Can the shadows pass?)

Never make me queries
Nor take me into hand!
Mescal is a refuge
  I can understand...