Las Vegas

Last summer I was out in Las Vegas

The 105-degree sun beamed down on my face

Champagne glasses clinked along the pool side, as ladies in red bikinis tried to tan

The streets were lined with cars so fancy a Honda would have been out of place

The shops and the women were draped with the top names in fashion

Klein, Boss, Ford, Vuitton, Wang, Versace

At night, the 20-somethings of America came out to play

"I'll bet 10, 20, 50, 100," they all say

Wasting their money, their night, and their prime

They drank whiskey and rum to make it seem sublime

From my hotel room atop the city I can see the party below

People dressed to the nines,

Lights brighter than the New York skyline

If this is the West Egg, then I am Gatsby

In the midst of the glitter and poker chips

A gilded reality exists within the pavement of this dessert oasis

In the hearts of its visitors lies a loneliness of great might

One that is hidden in the heat of the night

With colorful casino lights

Down by the quiet of the pool of The Wynn, a man nurses a bottle of scotch

He flirts with a woman, a woman he will never get

A woman in the Venetian gambles the last of her savings away

With no job, no money, and no ride home, she traps herself in the city

Here under the Nevada sun and pile of show girl feathers

Here lies a party and an escape

But soon this party will come to a roaring end

So raise your glass, and drink up, my friends