Cruise To L.A.

Shot out of San Diego 
like a Cruise Missile 
guided by 
red laser tail lights
fueled on
caffeinated elixir and adrenaline,
at four A.M. 
after 3 hours sleep 



injected my steal and glass projectile 
into a freeway that resembled 
a string of 
cubic zarconia and rhinestones



starred sky revolved into daylight 
morning found me carving 
circles through Compton  

sun sparkled diamond light 
into parked car windows 
on trash-lined, pot holed streets 
where the old 
Red Line station house still stands
saved from destruction 
by an African-American woman's hand.


spires 
Watts Towers     
rise proud


anchored concrete 
over incessant iron
needled columns punch defiantly 
into blue after rain sky 


seven-thirty A.M.


after Watts 1965
after Rodney King 1992
Community Action Counsel
fused multi-racial human beings 
into a movement of one
over a breakfast of 
passionate grits, 
powerful fried chicken, 
intense biscuits, 
and furious hot coffee!

multi-cultural psyche collected 
to orchestrate a bridge 
over bureaucrats 
that promised everything 
but dispensed only uninhabited time
in spoonfuls of action
mixed with bitter herbs
and hope.



Flashed uptown
neon burning my unsunglassed eyes
through brown L.A. smog
then poured into a room 
where a black man slept
who knew the stripes of injustice
because he ate them every day for lunch
in a 10 flight
Hollywood hotel 
walk-up.

At eleven A.M. 
I climbed up a hill
to see the god of architecture

but he wasn't home today

left his temple in the care of 
metal dogs
who were busy 
digging in the front yard 
holes 
big enough to run trains through!

I complained 
when they said I couldn't wait


... but they threw me out any way ...


fortunately I came prepared with
Florida Water from the Botanica
which I sprinkled liberally 
around the Aztec door post 
to keep the evil spirits away!

This freeway through  L.A. 
has my ass dragging on asphalt

racing metal monsters 
jockey for position
seven lanes of cars 
with crumpled fendered smiles
on four lines of road

engines belching fossel-fuel vapors
that paint a thin brown line
between sky and sea
wearily 
I bulldozed my way back to Diego 

my tongue hanging out 
panting 
like a tired lion after a chase 

dropped off a package at the hotel 911


NINE P.M.


fell exhausted into Soho 
and almost drowned in 
a cup of house coffee

I spent too much money for gas!

They say they're going to pay me 

NEXT TIME... 

         ...NEXT TIME 
		   
		   I cruise 
			
			to 
			  
			 L.A.