Vegas is a movie
With George Clooney and Brad Pit standing sharp suited at the bar
While Bradley Cooper and the gang of not quite so famous nurse a hangover
And Hunter S. Thompson fears and loathes all that can be indulged and exploited
A Rat Pack of dreams
“Vegas is not ready for us” says the tourist upon whom this edifice of ziggurats was built
Vegas is a mirror
A gaudy assault on the senses
The sins and miracles of Midwesterners and coastal elites
Laid bare, a reflection of America underneath the mask of church and flag
The mocking of stone throwers returning to their glass houses, riverboat casinos, and online sportsbooks
“Viva Las Vegas” the man said, holding chips and a free cocktail that cost him his mortgage payment
Vegas is a ladder
Those reaching for the stars
Or those pretending to be a few rungs higher than they are
Or pretending to slum it with indulgencies and fantasies of self-destruction
Others sliding to the bottom for real, their return ticket sold for an extra spin
“You are not ready for Vegas” say the locals
Vegas is a culture
The poets and musicians gathering in bars and bookshops
While the artists paint the walls of buildings within the city limits
Their truth more alive through juxtaposition
An awareness of how the world sees and how the world is
With theatre and song as a gateway drug
“You don’t know us” says the writer, poolside on a summer’s day
Vegas is an underground
A network of tunnels and homelessness
The victims of gentrification, hostile architecture, and the illegality of being unsightly on the streets
A refuge from the sun
Fatally ripped away with every monsoon season
“You don’t belong here” say the Mole People with good reason
There is a mist over Vegas
A Las Vegas fog of perception and myth
Who needs the mob when you have shareholders and venture capitalists
When what is needed is public transportation if we can’t have free parking
A destination and a home
“You live in Vegas?” Asks the ones who have never been and sit in judgement.
Image by Jay George
Word Outlet 