Before the Fall

Boomers remember sleeping in the yard,
on the porch,
Before midtown became infested with their
drugs,
their cheap thrills,
the creeps that go with them,
the fear that haunts us today.

Exiled

Imagine somebody from a country where God is taken seriously,
Coming here.
Carrying trust in his heart in God’s infinite mercy.
Trying to hang on in America, in Sacto, in Midtown.
Terrified of our infinite nothingness, our pseudo spirituality,
Our hatred of Christianity, our founders, our government, each other,
of everything Western.
For the first time in his life,
He needs God’s infinite mercy for himself.

Lose Lose

Women fear to walk the streets.
Men are afraid too.
The future belongs to women.
That terrifies men.
Nowhere to go. Nothin’ to do.
They take it out on you.

State of the City

Men gather under freeways,
Women at coffee shops.
One group lamenting the past,
The other amped for the future.

Silence

It’d be nice to pass St. Francis,
the neat old church,
hear chanting,
on and on,
forever and ever,
like God’s infinite mercy.

No Fences

Lived next door to a Latina.
Knew she was fine.
Hated white people.
Got knocked up by an immature homey.
Lost him to prison.
Got knocked up by a bad hombre.
I liked him.
Liked me too.
When I’d tell her to shut up.
He’d send us both inside.

Progress

When they unname Sutter’s Fort,
They’ll think of what to do with it.
Decide on a nudist colony.
Where colonists pretend they’re Indians,
The original nudists.

Big John

In the old days, women coming over the
mountains couldn’t wait to get to Sutter’s Fort.
Have an abortion. Start over again. No name.
No blame. No shame.

Yellow Hair

Listened to a guy on the bus who looked like Custer,
Wore a hat like Custer’s,
Was full of shit like Custer.

Wore a black neckerchief with white peace signs.

Getting in Shape

Saturday morning
Women training in park
Making it hurt
Feeling the pain
Reminds me of Lombardi
The sweat. The toughness. The ritual. The mission. The drive.
The drive.
Drive Susie! Drive!!