On that day the worse rain in thirty years
poured down, killed three people. Very little
causes Las Vegas to shut down. The fears
of the Rust Belt have no home here. Virgil
sat on my left hand, Dante at my right.
We watched the streets flood and the arroyos
overflow. Mesquite released a smell, fright
mixed with fate, in the air. The saguaro’s
green sides rumbled in the rain like doomsday
drums. I have met some fearful and anxious
ghosts since, but none were afraid as Dante
on the day I moved into Las Vegas.
Still, we survived, came out the other side
with no hoopla, or even spirit guide.