Sunday, July 5, 2015

Fourth of July- 2015 -

By the rockets red glare -
And the fireworks flare 
The 4th of July 
Has come and gone 

Crowds and crowds of people 
And cars 
Carrying chairs and kids and 
Coolers

Beware of the roads 
This long weekend -
People returning to LA
Will be crawling by 

-Locals not even attempting 
The freeway 
Going to church tomorrow 
By the back roads 
     -If I go 

The Fillmore tourist train 
Rumbles through 
Green orchards 
Mountains standing
     Majestically 
     Behind 
We take pictures 
Of each other 
Taking pictures 

Chinese tourists 
Speak Chinese 
Mexican folks herd 
Their kids

The car show 
Is all lowered 
Cars 
And cars that bounce 
Unnaturally

Motorcycle folks
Make lots and lots 
Of noise 
They roar away 
The women awkwardly
Perched behind their men
How can they imagine
That is fun? 
Oh well
To each her own 
I'm sure 
Those girls probably 
have as much trouble 
With their men 
As I do 
With mine

- only different 




Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Happy Birthday

Birthday depression 
Is a legitimate thing 
Older -
Relentlessly 
Older 

And all the things 
I haven't done -
And all the things I'm 
Too old to do -

However,
One can always count 
Ones blessings -
One can give thanks for 
Enough to eat and 
A place to sleep 

One can
Pick oneself up 
And 
Have another cup 
Of coffee 

And please remind me 
That these grey cloudy days 
Are the price we pay 
For living near the ocean 
And 
It's one hundred degrees 
Inland !



Tuesday, June 16, 2015

The usa

Black like me 
Was a book 
I believe 

I remember coming up against 
Affirmative Action -
No way 
To get a job 
Then 

So to pretend 
To be someone else 
Might have made sense 
To some 

To change ones name 
To exist 
To survive 

It shows how nuts we've become 
To legislate 
What we are and what 
We can do 

And to give all the jobs 
Away to other countries too 

What's the world 
Coming to ? 
Or at least 
     The usa.


Monday, June 15, 2015

California

What to do 
What to do 
I overhear someone talking about 
     Doing things 
He speaks quickly 
And talks about money 
     Exclusively 
Having plans 
Blaming others 
Drinking more 
     Coffee 
He seems to be trying 
To impress 
Some girl 
But 
She 
Can't get a word in 
She seems to be much poorer than 
He 
Wonder where that relationship 
Is going ?
She needs to run fast 
     And far -
Or marry him 
     Immediately 
This being 
A community property 
State 

California 

Friday, June 5, 2015

Siri

Having sent my first message 
With Siri 
-i know I'm way behind 
     The times-

But I've read way 
     Too much 
Science fiction 
Not to be 
A little bit 
Scared. 

What if. 
What then. 

You know it's gonna happen 
I am cynical enough 
To know-

To know it's 
Gonna happen 

Has to 

They are way smarter 
     Than us 
     In some ways 
And humility
Would have to be 
Programmed in
And who upon the earth
Knows 
True humility
True patience
True-
     I'm not gonna blow u up 
     Because you're stupid 
     And you're buggin me -

          Patience!

Who knows that and who will 
Teach it to 
All the Siri's
In all the world 
All the "foreign countries"
Who don't wish each other well 
Will be teaching their respective Siri's
To tell each other 
To go to Hell! 

So let's not think to much
     About it 
Let's just drink our 
     Latte
And make our way 
To go to the garden store 

And buy a flower. 

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Tall

I am so done with 
Tall men 

Always having to look up 
To them 

And they always think 
They are -
So 
Tall 

Things I hang at the "right" height 
They -
Run into

I am jealous -
They can reach 
Where 
The rest of us 
Cannot 

They don't even apologize 
For their tallness 
They just stand up straight 
And 
Walk away 

Off on some tall errand 
Of their own 
Which 
The rest of us 
Will never comprehend 

If there are "aliens among us" 
It's probably 
Them 

But they seem to have 
A soft side 
Too -

A big tall heart 
Beating within 
The large chest
I'm looking at 
When 
I'm trying to dance 
With 
You 

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Mother's Day

Mother's Day 
What can I say 
Not all mothers 
Were really cut out for it 

But back then 
That was it -
No other choice 
But to be 
     Alone 
And not a member 
     Of it -
The greater society 
The wanna be 
Suburb 
Society 

Now I hope 
More choices are 
Available 

Roles not so 
Cast in 
     Concrete

Now I hope 
People realize 
Open heart 
Open mind 
Being kind 

Much better than 
Trying to keep up 
     With someone named Jones
Who didn't really care 
     Anyway 

The old days 
Not so good 
In many ways 

Open mind 
Open heart 

Freedom 
Now
Carve it out 
Find your path 
Find your way 
Your own 
     Sacred path