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.