get up, get out, get busy,
engage, revel in the ephemera,
the beauty that is everywhere,
that won’t be here tomorrow,
from concrete to paper, relish
the marks made by doe-minded
vandals, be it intricate, colorful
designs, poetry dripping from
the bricks of the alleyways,
love scratches on the sidewalk
or next to apartment entryways,
drugged-out rants or scribbles,
stuff stapled to telephone poles,
trees, mobiles in the castro, look
up, listen to the tinkling for fifteen
minutes or so, not tomorrow but
today, catch the window-dressings
done by the professionals, peer
through the windows, say hello
to the cat or dog that lives there,
through the window, or step inside
to do so in a more personable way
stuff stapled to telephone poles,
trees, mobiles in the castro, look
up, listen to the tinkling for fifteen
minutes or so, not tomorrow but
today, catch the window-dressings
done by the professionals, peer
through the windows, say hello
to the cat or dog that lives there,
through the window, or step inside
to do so in a more personable way
on days in which the establishments
are open, keep the camera on, it saves
precious time, which is all we’ve got,
but the day is young and so are we,
and the streets are ours, say hi to
your friends in tents, under blankets
or on the stoop drinking their pints of
vodka or shooting up, find someplace
new, a place you’ve never been before,
a whole new perspective, walk all the
way to the beach or to the bay or to
the presidio or to the bridge or head
down to baker beach or be a tourist
at fisherman’s wharf, but always end
up on polk, make sure you’ve humped
telegraph, russian, and nob hills, or
disregard the gulch, that magnet that
draws you in, go deeper, there’s
always a surprise, a spot you never
knew but won’t be able to forget,
you can do this all day or for about
an hour, depending on whatever
commitments you have on the
particular day of the week, and
what motivation you’ll get from
all of this, or that is how it works
precious time, which is all we’ve got,
but the day is young and so are we,
and the streets are ours, say hi to
your friends in tents, under blankets
or on the stoop drinking their pints of
vodka or shooting up, find someplace
new, a place you’ve never been before,
a whole new perspective, walk all the
way to the beach or to the bay or to
the presidio or to the bridge or head
down to baker beach or be a tourist
at fisherman’s wharf, but always end
up on polk, make sure you’ve humped
telegraph, russian, and nob hills, or
disregard the gulch, that magnet that
draws you in, go deeper, there’s
always a surprise, a spot you never
knew but won’t be able to forget,
you can do this all day or for about
an hour, depending on whatever
commitments you have on the
particular day of the week, and
what motivation you’ll get from
all of this, or that is how it works
for me, no guarantees or anything,
but, yeah, so as for myself, and
as of this day, and as for my
commitments, i’ll place this one
at the top with a big star to make
it stand out, my number one item
on my to do list, my priority behind
which all else will fall, for if i fail to
do at least this, then i ask you:
how might i ever get anything
else on the list accomplished?
priorities first. that’s that.
it’s settled. over and out
until the next time. peace.
as of this day, and as for my
commitments, i’ll place this one
at the top with a big star to make
it stand out, my number one item
on my to do list, my priority behind
which all else will fall, for if i fail to
do at least this, then i ask you:
how might i ever get anything
else on the list accomplished?
priorities first. that’s that.
it’s settled. over and out
until the next time. peace.
