riyadh

this wide dry city's smeared
unlovely dust insinuating
the tight sinus and
the burnt stink of aircon
as this SUV
hornbumps
through lines
of speeding wrecks
running
on gasoline cheaper
than cola;

this faded hotel's bleakly
empty restaurant:
the 'chicken scallop':
a faint taste of spice, and
in the darkening below that
traffic surges
restlessly restlessly on, but
going where? there's
nowhere to
go,
is there?