by Maya Lowy
Here’s masses of Texans in twenty-buck
hats: hats with buttons on, Viking hats, poop
emoji hats, hats that look like chickens.
The bars in here primarily carry
Shiner & Bud Light, but one’s got German
beers: Spaten & Hofbrau, Paulaner &
Dunkel, color-coded so the girl who
takes my order just has to holler, Can
I get a Small Green & grab my ticket.
Alex Meixner, virtuoso on the
accordion, headlines the set tonight.
A couple folks can actually polka.
The crowd is raucous, cheering in German,
but organized & polite. Nobody
mentions the election; the closest thing
to politics here is the bratwurst stand
tip jar labeled for Chloe’s college fund.
I’m sharing a footlong brat on a stick
with my sister, who has never been to
Texas before. Last night when I tried to
open my window it broke clean in three
big pieces.
Created: December 28, 2016
Age: 25
State: Louisiana
Maya Lowy’s work can be found in The Golden Key, Quaint Magazine, Kalyna Review, and other publications. Born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, she completed her MFA in poetry at the University of New Orleans in 2016.