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 

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 !

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.

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 

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. 

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 

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