Saturday 30 March 2013

Peter Goes West

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.