City Lights
and Forgotten Hills
A Tanka
Series
stumbling over
a loose stone
it's the closest
I've seen the blue ash
without a field guide
throughout the day
pine straw falls
circling the tree
boy scouts look up
to find the north star
a gnarled hand
clasping the gate
the strength of its wood
holds the grain
of an old man's journey
in the long
and short of it all
he polishes his rifle
locking it in a display case
the key left in the slot
past graying tufts
of goldenrod gone to seed
there's no one
to tear our tickets
at the fairground
a gypsy's ball glows
the sound of gears
grinding and clinking
my destiny printed
on recycled paper
the slowing down of rain
in a journal entry
the dead chimney swift
untouched as if
it could still fly away
papa puffs his Havana
the smoke fanning
into cirrus clouds
each stroke of pen
on kite poster
somewhere between
the magazine sprawl
of city lights and forgotten hills
the armchair tourist
returning home
a marlin's skeleton
and an old fishing boat
all that's left
the sparkle of sea salt
in the rising sun
Notes
City Lights is a
Famed Bookstore in San Francisco.
Other references: Ernest Hemingway: A Farewell to Arms,
The Old Man and The Sea.
note: Kite Poster is used for decorative, purpose, Kites
poster: Main Entry: 1 post·er
Function: noun
Pronunciation: 'pOs-ter
Etymology: 4 post: a swift traveler
