[An Ocean Beach/San Diego garden]
Shrapnel
If my achy joints were all
that mattered I’d
move to Ocean Beach.
I’d abandon this damp and earnest coast and
all that kept me here,
kept me informed
and heartbroken
(Another shooting?)
to water my garden.
(A holy act in parched San Diego)
If I chose to honor the brokenness I’d
abandoned
I’d walk a block or two
to the fishing pier,
I’d walk to the very end
(which smells like beer-piss and fish) and
wait for
an Army-green ‘copter
or a
shrapneled, long-haired vet
(Vietnam, no doubt)
to whirl by/
limp past.
(Never a long wait)
I’d feel that concrete pier shudder
from each Pacific wave
I’d watch the surfers and pelicans and
let myself remember.
Dear Patricia,
Hi, there, Patricia, my so, so very dearly special and so, so very dearly precious white sisterfriend Christian woman who you are For Always so, so very much!!!!!! Wow, wow, wow and wow and wow and a zillion wows, sister!!!!!! I so, so very much love and like this absolutely beautiful and heartfelt blog post article of yours with such a cool picture featured and with your very lovely and so, so very true to life poem, my so very dear friend! I can sure relate to your so very sharp and sparkling words in this poem, sister. My chronic physical pain-LOL!!!!!!!!! I love where I live in Iowa City, Iowa even with the bitter cold in the harsh Iowa winters! My very achy joints, muscles, knees having severe osteoathritis and having multiple physical disabilities and other disabilities, too, and with bad lower back pain still won’t make me ever desire to leave my so, so very precious, beloved, and special Iowa City, Iowa with its horrid winters, sister.
I just so, so very much love, like, and cherish your very true to life blog post article and poem with your wonderful references like to yet another shooting, the drought like in San Diego and throughout California, honoring the brokenness like with all of the veterans thinking of the Vietnam veterans, and all of the other downtrodden people! I so, so very much love and like how you describe the scenery like with abandoning this damp and earnest coast, the fishing pier reeking of beer-piss and fish, watching the surfers and pelicans, and in fact all of your so beautifully and realistically with such descriptive words which you have composed here, Patricia!!!!!!! Sisterfriend, your so very true to life poem touched my very heart, and moved me in my very heart, and my very heart, mind, soul, and spirit, Patricia!!!!!! I feel my very heart , soul, and spirit leap for joy with such love, sensitivity, concern, caring, and empathy for all people in our country and world, and for all of the goings on in our country, society, and world, my so very dearest friend!!!!!!! I thank-you so, so very much and so, so very profusely for this magnificent blessing of this very fine and excellent blog post article and poem, Patricia!!!!!! We as your very grateful and appreciative readers are just so very blessed by you and the very joy and blessing of you, Patricia, and by this spectacular writing here and elsewhere, sister!!!!!!! Thank-you so For Always, Patricia!!!!!!!
Patricia, you have made my early morn get started to be an even better and brighter day with the joy and blessing of you and your so cool and marvelous writing here which has very much inspired, uplifted, and enlightened me and my very heart and spirit!!!!!!! Please have a totally terrific and a very thrilling Thursday, a wondrously wonderful rest of your week and weekend, and may all of your days be so, so very especially blessed, my sisterfriend Christian white woman who you are For Always so,so very much, Patricia!!!!!!!
Very Warmly and Sincerely For Always, my so very dear white sisterfriend Christian, Patricia, with Peace and Love To You For Always, my sister, and with Blessings and Even More Blessings To You For Always my so very dear friend,
Your sisterfriend Christian lesbian black woman in solidarity and the spirit For Always, Sherry Gordon