Colton - Interlude

I remember
Southern California hot sun
baking down on black asphalt.
Heat
Shimmering in waves off the ground
Making the world shaky off in the distance.
Sweat beading on my cheeks
My hands wrapped around an Al Pastor taco
Al Pastor, cilantro, cebolla, y salsa picante
Wrapped in a just made maize tortilla
A little bit of heaven in Colton
Tijuana style
A cold cerveza washes down a bite
And a family of six laughs in Spanish as they talk
next to me
My friend from Copenhagen sits across from me.
A mouthful of food, a half smile playing on his lips
And his eyes tell me he knows
What I know.
You try to burn these moments in your memory,
Pull them out when the world is dark and gray and rainy
And there are no friends
And no family is laughing
And the food doesn't taste right
Memories of a warm sunny day
In Southern California
Where everything was right
For a shimmering moment.