Summer in Chavez Park

Berkeley Marina

The Flaneur has haunted the Berkeley Marina forever,

I tend to call Chavez park the Marina as well

but it didn't actually exist 

when I first came ashore here

Cesar Chavez
fought for the rights
of migrant workers

The storied San Pablo bus
pulled over and a guy boarded
to fix the fare machine

By coincidence

the rendez-vous took place across 

from the EAST BAY RATS clubhouse

He did fast and efficient work

the proverbial dollar bill accordion

The graffiti murals 

around this part of town

are notably demented

I'm headed for a someplace

tonier, 

a more opulent section

Excuse me

University and San Pablo

Berkeley

Hand me my turban,

Infidel

I'm out for fun

Note: Oakland claims to have coined this

slang superlative

A day beautiful and a bit brisk

Fog bank on the Golden gate

 The savage design

attracted my eye,

The driver looked nervous

Don't draw on me, partner

 I am a pilgrim
and a stranger

traveling through 

this wearisome land

Contemplating the frieze 

of green and dry weeds 

on a  sun-baked wall

Shorebirds

dig the solitude

 

 Coming up around the bend

 Mount Tamalpais

The spindle on which

the San Francisco Bay turns

 Soon the fog

that steals through

the Gate

 Will besiege and then overtake
 the mythic mountain

between the bay and the Sea

 The chill atmosphere

of the open sea moves in

The breeze picks up

The choppy waters swell

 In turbulence

 tranquility

I'll say

3 August 2016