Up and Down
- Details
- Written May 2024
The land of plenty,
Where you dress for less [1]
So buy another
Until the suitcases burst and the wardrobe bulges,
So next stop's the thrift shop
Dropped off as donations
Overboard - keeping up with the Jonahs
Recycling for another generation.
This is
Where apricots rob the soil [2]
Of flavour and leave the silicon [3]
For a new generation of entrepreneurs
Modernising communication into isolation
Among roses and redwoods,
Cypress and cyclamen,
Loquats and lemons,
Red berries and spotted pizzas, [4]
Boba tea or an ice-cream cone;
Enjoying public sculptures and duplicated art,
A community concert or muted MCR [5]
Listening on iPhone or transistor inventions. [6]
This is
Where they travel the Camino Real, [7]
Once good, now pitted with potholes,
So they head for the hills [8]
Where one grand bumps into another
On an iCloud of mist
As the wealthy bask in the sun
Looking down on the other valley.
This is
Where it's better to return to that valley,
Down through the backwoods,
Winding your way along paths,
Past the Circle of Biarritz, along Valencia Drive
To a tulip tree and a fragrant jasmine [9]
And a home where all are welcome
Even if they're dressed for less.
Los Altos
May 2024