i dove into you eclipse first just like joni
strung out on another man. one man then
another i drifted down the russian river
took fluconazole for the yeast infection
tumbled into the pacific and learned to
doggy paddle the tides. arch rock crumbled
i stepped on some stars tapped words into
the machine and fell asleep at a party in the hills.
i became tender in the tenderloin stumbled
down broadway took too many shots of fernet
i watched the sun rise from a rich man’s
apartment while down below people unzipped
their tents. i tripped on the cracks in the
sidewalks i tumbled down a set of stairs
i wore masks for the weeks that your body
burned i deposited bills, learned to break
change i turned to a new man and asked
will you take me as i am. i’ve kneeled in a park
in paris and felt my heart cry out to your
golden gate. it gets so lonely, one breath now
two, of eucalyptus and sage, orange poppies
forever plucked – California, it’s you
who has held me close, you who has
taught me all these ways to say goodbye
