My life is Texas, long stretches,
a mixed bag of land so
vast, I could run forever and
you would never know me from
one solitary place to the other.

Contentment is in movement. I roam
through plains so plain and wide,
mirages begin to look like other
mirages begin to look like me.

Each year a different region, each
day a new valley, but if
the spot is comfortable, with adequate
food, water, sun, room, and protection,
I may try to set camp,
claim my space, dig my heels
into crumbling ground until I cannot
fight the wolves off any longer.

Texas is like a marriage, they
say. A long one, and nobody
ever leaves her. I sure can’t.
They say Texas is overdue freedom,
and she is, so long as
you love Texas and come home
to her often. She loves you
but she is a demanding wife.

—
Lisa Bubert is a writer currently living in Denton, TX with her drummer husband and very distraught cat.