Vacationing Where Once We Lived

Granny's bent out of shape, irritated at
her daughter, our son, and
me.
At Guadalupe
a single coyote trots the dunes 
and looks back, 
eyes placid lakes, 
then takes
his time and slowly 
snakes away 
hunting rabbits. 

Makes me think.

Granny says she likes the food at
Taco Bell -- better, 
than where I take her and locals eat.
It's more "authentic."

She's visiting from Seattle, but originally
she's from New York and
forty years ago when she came West 
to Los Angeles,
worked in a Mexican restaurant,
wearing a wide embroidered skirt and white ruffled blouse -- there
discovered the only kind of taco that she likes.

I've misunderstood 
her request 
for "authentic"  Mexican food
and taken her to a place 
where Anglos seldom go and no one else
is speaking English.

Stephen Williamson