The Base

[dukealien]

The Base
 
they spent the weekend flipping
channels between the fight
and the flood—
 
to think,
a gladiators purse
might mop up Texas.

Aside from that it looks like more than even both purses combined may not be enough (overtaken by events)...

A good meditation on what affects and interests people.  Ambiguity of the title ("base" in the sense of political center of mass for a party, vs. the adjectival/groundling sense of contemptibly inferior) is edgy but adds much.

Very nice.  "Gladiators" sic, qualifying rather than possessive, also works well.