Vegas

Vegas
Copyright © 2005 By Curtis Meyer

Sooner or later, all roads lead to me
like vessels pumping aorta 

I am the Alpha and Omega

The electric beating heart of the desert

The quiet beast that never sleeps

The monster resting with one eye open

Bedlam and the Promised Land all in one

Demons pass themselves of as slot machines in the presence of strangers
Angels disguised as show girls and whores walk the veins of my streets

The damned all pay homage to the glory of the neon fire

But my flames are not to be danced around like the ceremonies of the old tribes
Stand too close, and I will pull you in by your bootstraps;
Swallow your sins whole

Feast on all your petty intentions

They say rattlesnakes have the power to hypnotize their victims
I am no more than another coiled serpent waiting in rest-
Forked tongue flickering with hopes to entice new prey

I always strike when least expected and my fangs sink deep

Countless drifters and opportunists have given in to my lights sparkling the skyline

Past the cacophony of rolling dice and spinning wheels,
the clanging of coins and collage of money-starved tits

past the sequins and bowties
colored chips and blackjack tables

past the back alley heroin binges, undercover cops,
and runaway teenagers entering my gates at the chance to elope

past the white tigers and magic shows

Past the lounge acts, honeymoon suites, and motel rooms
with carpets blood-stained from drug deals gone wrong

across the streets of shattered glass and dreams painted by tread-marks and footsteps-

That is where you can find the real me

Some days you can stare at the desperation;
Rising from the pavement like hazy clouds of steam;

Reaching the heavens in the form of cigar smoke from high-rise balconies

Luck called in sick today. So did God

Some would debate I ever met either of them

They called me “The Meadows”
I have become the Valley of Death

The oasis whose waters sting the pallet

The mirage that burns the eyes of those who believe I’m too good to be real

All roads lead back to me

All stretches of highway return to the heart that pumps electric venom
courtesy of Nevada Power and the Hoover Dam

All who inhabit me are just cells floating aimlessly

They say, “Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” and that may be true,
but whatever I let happen stays in you

Like regret
Like bad choices

Like waking up next to strangers
hangover banging against your skull like a machine gun symphony
kicking beer bottles on the way to a cold shower trying to make sense of it all

Whatever I let happen stays in you like betting on black instead of red

Come to me, o’ weary traveler

Whatever I let happen stays in you like a tattoo
with the name of woman you’ve never met before
inked beneath your very soul