17 syllables about L.A.

20.

2010-02-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

side street shanty town,
the color of nicotine.
canvas grabs the wind.

19.

2010-02-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

rain in a gutter.
quicksilver city rover.
train in a tunnel.

18.

2010-01-20T02:23:00.000-08:00

the rain is ruthless.
a hawk grips a wire, sodden,
wings hunched, beak dripping.

17.

2010-01-20T02:18:00.000-08:00

humble masters of
the rough art of bumming smokes
hunt with cunning eyes.

16.

2009-12-03T18:51:00.000-08:00

xanax and red wine.
a cabaret dancer's legs
slither in fishnet.

15.

2008-10-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

october is this:
fire/rain, heat/cold, and red flags.
ocean fights desert.

14.

2008-07-22T20:17:00.001-07:00

Robertson sidewalk.
Japanese girls and photogs
peer over a fence.

13.

2008-04-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

night. through our shared wall
she cries out "oh my god yes,"
then rebukes her cat.

12.

2008-03-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

dead streetlight. men drink
tecate swathed in brown bags,
and piss on the wall.

11.

2008-03-04T14:03:00.001-08:00

seagulls sit vigil
over the oily black pool.
below, the past stirs.

10.

2008-03-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

From seams in the world,
great cranes pull towers skyward:
Vine Street convulses.

9.

2007-12-21T10:30:00.000-08:00

High heels, wet concrete.
Cold rain bares Chandler's city.
The wind howls, rages.

8.

2006-11-03T17:04:00.000-08:00

Morning brings the fog.
Streets muffled by a blanket
woven by the sea.

7.

2006-11-03T17:03:00.001-08:00

Stiff-limbed Sea Org chicks,
stomping down the Boulevard
in synthetic skirts.

6.

2006-11-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

spiderweb outside
glistens with evening mist,
fired by halogen.

5.

2006-11-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

Midnight: two gunshots.
One street over, has blood spilled?
The Nightsun won’t say

4.

2006-06-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

Pregnant clouds of slate.
Lightning traces through my dreams.
The wind slams a gate.

3.

2006-02-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

scorching red flag day.
succulents spread their broad green
hands toward the sun.

2.

2005-11-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

Palm crowns thrown askew
by impudent desert gales.
Fronds fall like arrows.

1.

2005-11-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

the smog flees the winds.
static, and blue skies arrive:
the sea awakens.