Driving across
the warm California desert
late on a 1976 night
after an all day drive.
I was flying
on grass and amphetamines
and thinking
that those two drugs together
were such a nice combination
that they were dangerous.
And then Hotel California
came on the radio
for the first time
and the moment
was burned into me.
Time and place and magic
conjunct-ed there and then.
And, to this day,
I can never hear that music
without experiencing
that rush, those feelings,
the warm desert air
and the desert’s immensity.
Some dance to remember
and some dance to forget.
gallagher
Christchurch
13Dec25