ALBUQUERQUE

Walking the Old Plaza
in the historic part of town
as if I had all the time
and twice the money I needed,
I must have worn my open face
as shopkeepers welcomed me with
bright smiles and friendly questions.
The slightest poke
summoned out deep secrets
told to total strangers
who listened with kind ears.
Proprietors shared their stories
of falling in love with the land;
one even told me
I belonged there,
words spoken as if read
from a script He'd written long ago.