Leo King of Cats
Do-it-yourself
painting gallery
for wine-imbibers
There's an Oakland A's
elephant mascot again
ubiquitous and frankly
a thoroughly uninspired idea
But this scene is rather fun
A festival called
Rock the Bike
only mildly trepidatious
Double-decker bike
in the shape of a tree
An agreeable dub step band
and Lord knows how
fussy I am
Semi-circle of stationary bikes
as audience front row
People peddled away the whole time
I had walked a mile
and was a little too weary
to join the fray
to join the fray
But I joined Rock the Bike
reclining on the lawn
Met a cat man
bicycle stunt driver
As charming as could be expected
under the circumstances
Better not let this guy
see him
Cat hunters from Oregon
for some reason
want to intimidate bystanders
Another mascot
this time sort of eye catching
outside Everett and Jones
infamous BBQ joint
Trees inspire sails
I'm on a solo voyage home
People around here
really respond to
The Rock
Birthday pasta with
Seattle-style smoked salmon
heirloom tomato and
dinosaur kale
Poignant
cartoon cloud
avant garde of
relentless marine influence
At nine o'clock
I ventured out after
sparkling cider
Optical art illusion
of a famous face
in a transient gallery
28 July 2018
4.
Terra Incognito
of everyday life
Rarely on foot hereabout
though I pass quite a lot
Sushi joint
colorful worn wainscoting
mirror window
Who would leave
a handmade bun bun
alone in a car in
this sketchy neighborhood
The weathered brick
of an exposed wall
the nitty gritty
By this point on the path
I don't get it anymore
immune to your
salutations and hustles
Here is where I am bound today
if I can just manage this last hill
6.
Cardio Surrealism
The heart
as objet d'art
The translucent heart
of RAY man
figuratively speaking
Crucial to remember
the heart is not
a toy
The afternoon
becomes incarnadine
As I go
clouds like a river
like a great highway,
the black shrouded construction,
Life and its doppelganger
5.
Stone fruit
of July
A white nectarine
At perfect readiness
It even has a prajna dot
indicating almost mystical
transcendence
6.
On my way toward
a lonesome echo
Ah Sunflower
not yet weary of time
There is a honey bee pal
on this sunflower's lower lip
Lady slippers
not as delicate as they sound
Jet black bumble bee
buzzing all around
Slippers turn intrinsic
in my filtered perception
Here's come one now
our most vital fellow beings
the bees
This is a very familiar path
for young people
heading for high school
Bulldog plaque
the usual sort of belligerent
mascot symbol
Wonder if their fight song
is Hey Bulldog!
But really life is brief
why fight?
The haunted high school
in Summer break
Stately circular façade
Great movie set I would think
wonder if ever so used
Public High School
a great institution
even as it stands
In some disarray
High school facilities
are magnets for vandalism
the kids know a lot is wrong
but I shudder to think
what would replace it
Technically Oakland
Technical High
Deserted today
Doctor's office Dali
Big sleep stay thy hand
while I am unaware
dreaming in echolalia
July-August 2018
