Last Call by David Lee Page A

emerge like Venus
    in an ocean of heat waves
    with a kitchen trash
    bucket
    footstep whirlwinds
    all around her back yard, in immaculate Texanese
    Clovis said One them air dust devils
    gets under her housecoat
    up her nightgown arising
    she’ll lift herself
    like a full grown female angel
    right off the ground
    I bet
    she
    looked smartly their way
    so Billy couldn’t laugh or take the wager
    leaned over and pretended
    something in his coffeecup
    needed to be looked at
    anything else right then
    was not going to be worth the chance
    2
    Then the day Marvin Penny
    came outside
    looking like second place
    in a two entrant
    world champion fist whipping
    she became
    legend
    neither one surprised
    after they heard the scream
    through the housewalls across the yard
    to the back porch PBR libations
    when she learned the rumor
    of his gallavantation with Kim Pierce
    Billy in perfect Tejano splendor said
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Clovis
    that isn’t no knucklebumps on his head
    you get up and look close
    I’ll put two dollars
    yougn see a clear footprint
    from his busted lip
    up between and past
    that eye’ll be swolt black tomorrow
    with a bloody nose in the middle
    Clovis said No bet
    that looks to be a fact
    3
    When Cephas Bilberry heard
    at the Dew Drop Inn that night
    he said Well I hope Marvin he learnt
    a lesson from it either way
    whatever it was needing
    such immediate education
    Billy said I imagine he did
    Cephas said That being what?
    Billy said Next time
    he gets knocked on his ass
    he’ll make sure he falls face down
    so the following foot marks
    don’t show
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cephas
    said You mean
    whoever did that stomp
    it was after he’d already been knocked down?
    Clovis said
    Unless she can walk around in the air
    stomping on heads, you know
    a better way?
    Billy said
    If it’s a point
    needs to be made
    or a trailway to be commended
    it might as well be stated proper
    so the muckling effort
    doesn’t need to be repeated
    Cephas
    said Well that might be right
    Clovis said Yep
    ever footstep in this drought
    raises a genuine cyclome or leaves a print
    sometimes permanent
    and that’s not blowing smoke
    or preacher talk
    and Cephas said Godamitey’s mama
    aint it the truth?
    4
    Juan Diego Mendietta
    unloading a case of Pabst’s Blue Ribbon beer
    into the ice cooler at the Dew Drop Inn
    heard a voice
    saying A woman who walked in air
    left a footprint on the face
    of Marvin Penny
    that could be seen clearly
    with one’s own eyes
    that night
    he told Father Gutierrez
    the things he heard but the Padre
    shook his head sadly and said No my son
    these are the words of a fool
    drunk on bootleg beer
    you must try to remember
    milagros almost never occur in Tejas
    where there are too many gringos
    for the Lord’s work
    so
    Juan Diego Mendietta
    went home in despair
    his hope of imparting a miracle’s appearance
    shattered like his youthful dreams
    of making love to Hooter Hagins
    but he told his wife Eva who some said
    was de la familia de las brujas
    while he ate the tacos she made for him
    what he heard spoken clearly
    who told
    her sister Maria Calvones
    who told her cousin Isabel Ramones
    who cleaned Onella Penny’s house
    every Monday from nine en la manana
    until la hora de cuatro in the afternoon
    who went to the Penny casa
    the next morning even though it was a Thursday
    and knocked
    when he
    opened his door he said
    You aint posta be here today yet
    it aint Monday is it?
    she screamed and pressed her hands to her cheeks
    the indelible print of a foot
    clearly visible on Marvin Penny’s face
    !Madre de dios! she screamed
    he said What the hell?
    but Isabel Ramones turned and ran
    down the calle shouting
    !Es un Milagro! !Un Milagro!
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â soon
    votary candles appeared nightly on the porch
    of Onella and Marvin Penny’s