The sign was full of bullet
holes
a wretched dog was sitting in the middle of the road
scratching a pesky flea
behind his ear

A large billboard was stuck
the video endlessly repeating in
twelve foot letters

TECATE
TECATE
TECATE
TECATE
TECATE
TECATE
TECATE
TECATE
TECATE
TECATE
TECATE
TECATE
TECATE
TECATE

 he stopped at a local mini-casino
and started playing blackjack
he played for seven hours
and won 163 dollars
they stopped giving him
bad gin and tonics
after the third hour

when he pulled himself away from the table 
he was reasonably sober
and very hungry
he tipped the dealer ten bucks
and asked where he could get a good steak
"not around here"
was all she said

he got in his car and decided to go into Reno proper
"time to get out of this shit hole and go to another shit hole"
he hummed a little tune
Supertramp's
Take the Long Way Home
it had been playing in the mini-casino
when he left