The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center (Patagonia, Arizona)

Just

Turned
Onto
Rejuvenation Road
After turning my phone voice recorder on

The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center
For real

There’s a labyrinth
The sign says

I’m a little wary
Kind of reminds me a little bit
Of one of those wacky 
Fake medical setups
Where people go for direct
Alcoholism drug addiction
Treatment
Vulnerable and gullible
They’ve got money
Nothing else
That doesn’t describe me
But I’m walking up the road anyway
Don’t know what I’m going to get to, though

So I’m trudging on up this road...

My right hip is starting...

[Howl]

Don’t know what I’m going to get to
There wasn’t...

[Howl howl wind]

So I...

But I am getting a little out of breath
From all this walking uphill here
A lot of knarly brush
It’s still just mid-March
Winter in southern Arizona
But I’m looking to be rejuvenated
No
I never had any intention of being rejuvenated
Before I came
To the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center

Now it says Caution Speed Bumps
But I’m not driving, so I don’t think
The speed bumps were intended for me

[Trudge trudge trudge]

[Howl howl wind]

Hills a bit...

I guess this might not
Be the season
For rejuvenation
Don’t know
When the rejuvenation
Sessions are scheduled for

There was a long adobe gate down there
A closed gate
But it was easy to get in by a path
On the side there

Still trudging

[Howl howl wind]

I don’t know if I’ll feel rejuvenated
Once I get to the top
Whereever that might end up being
But I am a little bit afraid
That some scary-looking, tough
Goon
Maybe wearing a straw cowboy hat
Probably a whole cowboy outfit

[Crash]

Will spring out at me at some point
Stick me with a hypo
And then trundle me into the house
Put me in a bed
Rifle through my wallet
Take all my insurance cards
Bank account cards
Yeah yeah
They’ll probably give me some kind of truth serum
Make me reveal all my passwords
And account numbers
My social security number
And all my other private information
Then they’ll empty out my bank accounts
And send me on my way

I won’t...

[Howl howl]

Connect...

[Howl howl]

Private property...

[H-O-W-L]

I don’t want to...

Nah!!!

You can hear the...

It isn’t very cold...

Staff Parking...

Here’s a cool path...

There’s the cafe...

I guess I’ve arrived...

Not responsible for theft
Or damage to vehicles

      WELCOME TO
   THE TREE OF LIFE
REJUVENATION CENTER

[Howl howl wind]

Be stuck with a hypo...

[Ripping Crashing Howling wind]

But then after I feel fairly sober
And the DTs go away
All the squirmy lizards and pink snakes...

Well here we go...

Don’t know whether
I can walk down
Here...

Plain and simple...

Truth...

Don’t know whether the Rejuvenation Center
Is actually in business
It doesn’t look like a complete ruin
Very interesting cactus
Sign says casitas down the road
I suppose I could record my voice
And take pictures at the same time
But afraid
To get my camera now

Maybe this here is the labyrinth
The thing about a labyrinth
You can't find a way to walk out of it
And now
I’m a little worried
That I’ll never 
Be able to
Myself...

Leads up to a shed
And then there’s a teepee
And there’re the casitas
The casitas are actually teepees, it seems...

That could be...

Really windy...

[Howl howl wind]

I can hear some kind of chain rattling
But I don’t see any cowboy in a straw hat
I don’t know why the cowboy would have to wear spurs
I think the cowboy is just loony
They use him as a goon
To take care of troublemakers
Unwelcome visitors
To the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center
People who come up here
Without really intending to be rejuvenated

Yeah, there’s a co-ed sundeck
Well, that suggests
That most of the Center is not co-ed
They keep the men and women
Separate mostly

I love the Rejuvenation Center
It’s really cool!
Exciting!
Not a soul here
I love the Black Swan too,
But all the black swans seem to have already
Flown the coop

Don’t know what I’m not seeing...

I’d like to use my camera now
Except it’s too bright to really see anything
So I’m not going to have any pictures of the Rejuvenation Center

Here we have guest
And staff only
Couple of sconces
Well...

I guess I could walk on farther
But if there are programs in progess
I certainly don’t want to disturb anybody
Or keep the rejuvenation from being successful
For all those unfortunate souls
Black swans
Who come up here
Like me
To sober up

I think this is a fantastic place
This Rejuvenation Center
I like being here
But if I take pictures somebody will see me
Through a little peephole somewhere
Then they’ll really be on me
That loony cowboy’ll
Really be on my ass then

Oh well...

It’s beautiful up here
At the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center
Really nice, I have to say
But I have to walk down
Everybody knows that
Turn off the recording machine

Something that sounded like
A step behind me...

OK here I go

[Howl howl wind]

[H-O-W-L]

[Bup]