Lament of the Border Lands

The vertical cursor of the Microsoft mouse
Succumbs to the golden capital I
Supreme locator of the insertion point
Which turns when you approach the border
Into an arrow which serves as a hook
With a double barb
To bring the border into place
Anywhere you want it.

The 49^th parallel of latitude
Along what used to be
The world's longest undefended border
Between the United States and Canada
Bisected Oregon Territory
Separating Washington State from British Columbia.

I set my hooks into it
And drag it slowly south
Across the Okanogan, beyond Grand Coulee Dam
Over the Hanford Reservation, south of Mt. Rainier
On to the Columbia Gorge, across the slopes of Mt. Hood
Beyond Bend and Crater Lake to Klamath Falls,
Let go of it on the 41^st parallel presently defining
The border between Oregon and California
Idaho and Nevada and Bingo:
I now pronounce you
Virtual Canadians.

I can't flee to Canada; Canada comes to me.
I do this every day to appease my
Inner Canadian.

Bring the southern border
Between the US and the half of Mexico
The corporations haven't completely absconded with yet
Up into the middle of Kansas
About where Coronado crapped out on
His search for El Dorado
To meet the falling border from Canada and disappear them both
Until we all become
Citizens of the earth.


Wish You Were Here
  for Travis

Lieutenant Catsull?
This is General Impudence.
Remember that roof we slapped on
The dilapidated garage on Rose St.
To get State Farm Insurance off my back?

Well, the tornadic winds of last December
Peeled a big section of the south side off,
The one we didn't replace.

So when you get the time and a bag of nails.


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