TIJUANA

when I woke up
the room was dark
and the air thick
and in between the gentle snoring
of my friend in the bed
next to me
I could hear steady sipping
from one corner of the room.

I closed my eyes
and hoped to hell
he didn’t hear me
but sometimes
if they’re waiting for it
a person can hear the bow
of your eyelids
at the end of a dream.

‘are you ready to do this?’
he said softly

I remained quiet and hopeless
hopeless
that one of the others
would wake up and climb the cross
lay his neck on the butcher block.

‘I know one of you is with me,’ he whispered
‘and I bet I know who.’

I took a good breath
and swallowed
sat up and squinted into the darkness.
he was in the corner
sitting on a chair
I could see the outline of his body
wrapped in a blanket
surrounded by 40 oz bottles of beer.

I got up quietly
and went into the bathroom
he followed me in
and we lit the pipe.

shortly after
we were in our borrowed junker
driving north out of Ensenada
leaving the other two friends
in the cheap hotel room
sleeping soundly
drunkenly
until they would wake up alone
the next morning
with the only clue
as to where me and Brian had gone
being a bible
which we had taken from the bedside drawer
and on it’s cover
in big letters
carved with a with a Swiss army knife,
‘TJ”