Christmas in Los Angeles

(David W. Clary)

I am sitting at a window overlooking
the mouth cut into the earth
that opens up and reveals
Los Angeles.

A red river flows from me to the south
and a white river flows back.
Each light a carful of hopes and dreams
and fears.
Memories of better times.
Prayers for better times.
Trapped here with me despite their desperate froth.

LA is grey and brown.
Grey sky over grey concrete.
Brown hills under brown clouds.
Like the life in my chest
the color has drained from my world.

When I was a child I sang
as children sing
of peace on earth
goodwill toward
man. Of Jolly Men who gave without limit.
Of Angels we heard on high.

I don’t sing much anymore
but when the children open their mouths again
I bask in their innocence
like Naaman in the river Jordan.

(David Clary’s first volume of poetry, A FEAST OF TEARS, can be purchased here.)

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 10:10 pm and is filed under *Jamie's Posts, Midnight Poetry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.