driving to Vegas

Tonopah's
the only place
contour lines
appear
to rise

between there
and Goldfield
the first
Joshua trees

beer at the Mozart Club

from then on
it's all downhill

between Mercury
and Indian Springs
the light
begins to change

you wonder
what you'll do
when you reach
the edge
of the map

out there
on the horizon

all that neon

beckoning you

in from the dark