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After The Mines Closed
by Nevada Kerr


Rock shop Hal does pistol repair
His guest ranch hands tame feral bears
Till they're furless and headless and ready to wear
His windmill bar and American car
Make him a star in the mobile home parks

Propane Judy extols her stucco roots
Her pest-controlled adobe and her snake skin boots
Her ghost town vendibles feed a youth ministry
And pentecostal campers in Indian beads
A Mexican cowgirl in patrol border drag
Judy tears the flesh of half dead stags
She can't read or write and she's plagued with doubt
But at the livestock auction she proves she has clout

Hal and Judy build wilderness retreats
Sponsor day rides and pack trips for computer geeks
They entertain tourists like liquor store scouts
With a rifle and some hay in their outlaw hideouts
Unemployed miners in giant dump trucks
Turn to Judy and Hal when they're down on their luck
Hal and Judy are making ends meet
In a land of spa pedicures and gemstone boutiques

Written by © Nevada Kerr
25th November 2002.



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Created: Dec 2002 © Paul Kinder Last Updated: 24/12/02