Thursday, March 31, 2016

The Doll As Surrogate



Jekyll and Hyde Park Soapbox





 Downtown Berkeley BART plaza,
A man was turning round and round
and shouting




 Reagan was the Beast
but apparently so is Obama,
"Stealing...will be so bad
they will do away with money"
I dig that





 Even if all this was completely true
Not very much you can do
When no one will listen
To your prophesy?






A Black man was hiding back there
Shouting his words
Into the white dummy



29 March 2016

Drive-by Archive



1.
Alcatelegraph



 Semi-urban east bay scene
A burst of living color







 Interstice with trees




 Tattoo emporium
Serving an ever-growing need






An ever-growing need
 for some shade




Out-of-business
The pawn-shop of suspicion
Haunted by old despair






The Smokehouse
on Telegraph Ave
Corner of my old street



2. 
The Piedmont




Playing field on Linda


Schoolyard










Great knobby trees along here
Wisteria coming on





Overarching oaks
I go by here often



Contemporary dad and son




Abode of the succulents




This kid just got off our bus




Bye, kid



Cemetery cul-de-sac
Green hills behind



Columbarium
Repository of human ash




Youth under a tree
evocative shadows
helicopter sky





The Ridge
under construction
former Ghosttown shopping center





The burgeoning green



Fellow was painting 
New melodrama mural




Berkeley playing field 
in my old neighborhood,
Former Iceland at other end



3.. 
The Piedmont Redux




 The Little League

 


 Two baseball games at once






Confident stride
My all-time drive-by favorite shot
I saw the two boys cross Piedmont
Then I lost them
 but tried anyway






 This spooky little one
Twigged the old guy on the bus



 I love to see children run
A vicarious joy







 Looking at the world 
through my windshield




Pleasant Valley Saturday









March 2016

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Easter Bayshore Holiday Part One






 Rejoice






1.
Easter Sunday



Guess where I am




If you guessed Alameda...
A tree uniting all



So cute and bungaloid




Fascinating flora



2.
God's golden shore


 


First stop the bird pond
Where it was all go,
All about mating



Seagulls kick up a ruckus
Folks throwing them food,
Don't think they are supposed to




Ducks are adamant
The coot had to scoot




There's the beach,
Not many brave the on-shore breeze



There's the water,








Up here with the gulls
and the kites





Oh happy day





Checking out the local hangs




Today's expedition selects
As it's far point
That pointy point of land



 

The big winter bird population
Has split by now




What they do?
Father forgive them they know not,
How I admired this great cypress
Growing right on the shore


 

I move on
Delightful Arabic girls
Explore the bright beach scene
They are well-behaved and respectful



My proverbial Marine lunch
They even gave us blue tablecloths today
Of course the wind has other ideas,
Raisins, candied ginger,
"Girl Scout Cookies"



My nearest neighbor,
New green branches
Ever tossing in the wind



The Arabic women and girls
Sit together in the grass
The men sit at another table,
Wonder if they are Christian




Nutrient rich bay,
Benign sunshine



I come to my point



Young able-bodied people
Turn back



Not me, baby
I go out on the rocks



I sit out on the water





Fisherman gets lucky
Three fish on one line





Shiny new hand-railing 
Installed this Winter
On the submarine walkway



Think I'll doff me boots,
Carry them in my knapsack




Time for my walk-on-the-water routine,
And so I do



27 March 2016