All Smiles

He's working hard at killing his liver
in dimly lit dives
frequented by girls
in tight black jeans,
bullets hanging round their waist.

He spills bull shit
lapped up
by twenty-somethings
emanating bullshit of their own,
it gives off a faint glow,
it's how those tanks are lit.

Smokes in alleys
walks down dirty sidewalks
laughs when he's supposed to
knows the right people
orders the right drinks,
he's vaguely liked by most.

His disease is buried
like a cicada,
comes out
once in coon's age.
When it does
it makes a big noise.

On the side of the road
a dead coyote
smiles.

Marine Layers

It looks like rain
until noon
when the marine layer burns off.

I was making eyes
half the summer
stealing glances
looking down
when she looked up

I never said anything
I never do
I didn't want it to be awkward.

If you wait long enough
it's sunny everyday down here.

Fires and Home

I'm posting these poems mostly to represent the place I've been in the last couple months.

Fires in Mendencino

There are 134 fires burning in Mendencino County.
People are wearing gas masks in Ukiah,
it's hazy in Santa Rosa.

At camp the smoke settles over the Redwoods
while the sun is dropping in near the western horizon.

I've never seen the world look so red,
the sun looks like it's blushing.
The bay and oak trees are glowing.

I know the fires are still burning
houses are being destroyed
little kids are having asthma attacks
eyes are burning from the poison oak in the air,

but I can't help thanking God for the pretty sunset.

Home

The squirrels are huge down here,
they look like small cats

The rabbits are big too
with gigantic ears

It hasn't rained in two months
I can't seem to find a 711 in all of Sebastopol and Santa Rosa
haven't found a teriaki place either:

for me, home is drinking a coke slurpee
during a slow drizzle filling the air
with the smell of wet sidewalk.