i didn’t expect much
heading to longview on
a sleepy sunday afternoon
and still
longview left me
already longing for home

the bearded hotel clerk
expounding on
the need for a card
in case of incidentals
explained the costliness
of towels and washclothes
ad nauseum
leading me to question
why anyone would have
such a vested interest
in fucking towels
unless they got a cut
of the exorbitant fee

as far as towns go
longview is definitely one
but like so many nowadays
there is no personality
beyond trailer park meth den
and the muddied americana
of golden arches and
faded walmart signs

all of these highway towns
relish in the same sense
of profound genericness
the same handful of
cookie cutter fast food joints
a giant clean gas station
and an even larger one
which has the distinct vibe
of scene of multiple homicides
a rundown asian buffet
and a scenic downtown
filled with failed businesses
showcasing the foreclosure
of the american dream

three days
then the trek back home
where i exchange
the puerile judgment
for acceptance
pretending my town
is any less of a pit

it isn’t longview
or the thousands of towns
exactly like it
fighting to survive
tumors dotting the bloated corpse
of an america that never was
everything it tried so hard
to convince the world it was
the land of the morbidly obese
and home of the bulletproof backpack