paralax999

tonight, dear nobody, as the hot desert winds remind me
of what dry places so many struggled across
toward the elusive dream, the destiny promised.

tonight, i love los angeles.
i love the diners, and the ghost of jim.
i love the feel of hollywood boulevard after midnight.
i love a long drive down sunset past the manicured gates to the ocean.
i love finding a party in the hills.

i love the company of eclectic on my morning battle of rubber, concrete and steel.
i love the teeming millions,
all of us locked away in little boxes,
free to cry and scream and sing off-key.

the hamburgers on the east side that look like the pictures,
the westside bums surrounded by the casual starbucks sipping smug.
you cant go any further west when you hit the sea.

the silverlake hipsters at the tropical cafe, dropping into the echo
for some sonic titillation among the faux hawked and horned rimmed.
the mexican ladies on the mta who always seem so happy to see each other.
the kids in brentwood who know their parents are full of shit.

where rivers are concrete,
skys are grey,
mountains burn,
and killer bees roam.

i love my angels.
standing on the corner proclaiming how fabulous whatever sex they might be.
the crazed who dont look before they cross the street,
the purple lady of fairfax,
the witch who wanders la brea, painfully contemplating each step.
the dreadlock cigarette bum of kings road cafe.

i love my solitude she surrounds me with,
in the midst of so many fellow strangers.
all of us longing to connect
and afraid to commit.

center of the universe, without a center.
give me your phony, your scheming, your midwestern hopes
aching to be known.

tonight i love my city.
the lights of the valley twinkle over the 405
cause we aint got no stars.

and theres no traffic in the dark night.
and no parking space at home.
and im all alone, awake, alive.

tonight im in love.