I
do not presume to judge you
Now
that you are gone,
The
leaf would've fallen anyway
The
bird would've flown,
Taking
talisman, tarot deck
And
Ayn Rand tome,
On
a journey to far West
Your
spiritual home.
Land
of parking lots and desert malls,
Skateboards
on the board walks,
Beggars
in the bleachers
watching
volleyball.
Hard
bodies on baked beaches,
Fantasy
and fraud.
Penitents
& preachers,
Jesus
is Lord.
Charlatans,
shaman,
Casteneda,
Charlie Manson
Snake
oil sales at seminars
Bringing
in a ransom,
Dollars
for scents, vitamins for viruses,
Aspiring
actors ache.
Cast
the I Ching, read the runes,
that
lucky break is overdue,
and
stars are born of destiny
A
transit of Mars and Neptune
Or
the moon in Capricorn.
The
band plays on in la la land.
In
California now
Catholic
boys genuflect
To
new age sacred cows,
Have
it all, have it now -
Let
god off the hook,
When
you're disappointed
You
didn't wish longer,
Hope
harder, or want it bad enough.
A
one a.m. translatlantic call
a
mid-western drawl, goes on to say
I
was in your address book,
someone
to inform -
and
written next a list of keepsakes
Concerns
a few effects.
Could
he send your talisman
Some
books and a tarot deck?
I
thought of you for a night or two
Then
I rang your mom in Slough
Sometimes
I still do.
