Grown Up

By Rick Lupert

Our plane from Phoenix,
whose airport is all we know

is approaching the Colorado River
and just on the other side

is Butte, New Mexico,
a city whose name

I often purposefully
mispronounce.

The naysayers are right.
I never quite grew up.

Though I still manage to
pay the mortgage.

I even refinanced recently.
Such a big boy thing to do.

I say wear athletic socks
to business meetings

and better yet,
don’t have business meetings.

I say Lake Titicaca
must be a hilarious place to live.

the Grand Canyon
the cleavage of America,

and when I get to Mount Rushmore,
the first thing I’ll do is see

if I can fit inside one of
Jefferson’s nostrils.

None of this will stop me
from getting my teeth cleaned twice a year.

None of this will make our front yard
any less xeriscaped.

Say it with me people
No pants

No pants
No pants