The Hubcap House: red tinsel grass, a wall

of flyers reading “See the world’s first house

made up of hubcaps, more than you can count!”

Fresh off the Tilt-a-Whirl and on a whim

 

she asks how many, and the barker says

there’s half a million make the roof alone.

He keeps her quarters in a velcro pouch.

She’s shaking. If this is a dream of death

 

then why is it in color? Look: his teeth

are burning red, the tinsel rose he picks

from her back pocket flares red and is gone.

 

He lifts her veil of gauze. He bends to take

her fingers, and she ducks and turns away

and starts the treacherous climb back to earth.

 

 

Originally published in Crazyhorse