Saturday, July 11, 2015

Bazaar!

Where are all the 
Hoards of People ?
We've worked so hard -
Cleaning out our cupboards 
And deciding what to 
Sell 
This belonged to my Aunt 
She had a long and interesting 
Life 
But in the end 
Things didn't go 
So well -
How can I sell 
Her treasures 
At the sale? 
But how long should they 
Sit in their box 
In the garage ?
What if 
I ever wanted to get 
A car in there 
Again? 
Life is not about 
Stuff -
But -
This is AMERICA 
And so
It sort of 
Is

And there's a band 
God save us - !
Singing loud 
And 
Out of tune 
Back from their break 
They bravely carry 
On
I put the only two dollars 
I made 
Into the tip basket -
I lied 
And at church no less 
The church 
Bizarre -
Bazaar !
We had great hopes 
     Coming here -
Lots of money 
And lots more room 
In our various garages 
And closets 
Almost like adding on 
     Another room 
Like people with money do -
Space -
Like they have 
In those magazines 
(Note to self) 
Stop! 
Looking at those 
Magazines - 

You know the ones -
Where everything looks chic
Even the junk
Junque! 
And is somehow color
"Colour" coordinated 

As the band sings 
An off key rendition 
Of my favorite song 
I remind myself 
Life 
     Was never meant to be 
     Any better than it is 
     
Or it would be. 

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Nomenclature

It's so late 
I can't escape 
I've done it again 
Even though I swear 
     And swear again
I won't do this 
     Ever
Again 

The battery is running 
     Out 
The phone has had enough 
Of my poking 
     And prodding 
Of my curiosity
     And philosophying

Tomorrow will punish me 
Undoubtedly
And I will have 
No excuse 
No justification 

I will be angry with myself 
And it won't be funny -
When I struggle
To exist 
To listen 
To have patience 

The excuse of 
Living in the moment 
And 
Enjoying the expression of
Personality 
And 
Writing poetry

Will pale before
The effort of 
Holding it all 
Together 
-Among people 
(Which I'm not so good at 
Anyway)
What to say 
And 
How to say it 
When to laugh 
     Appropriately 
Maybe a little cleverness 
Thrown in 
(Don't push it - 
Just get by) 
Why I 
Do this to myself 
I still wonder 
It is my little 
Rebellion 
I suppose 
My small attempt at 
The artistic life 
I laugh 
At myself 
For such 
Nomenclature 






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.