Leaves of LAX

1.

Stranded – alone
Beneath the palms and pink feathers
By sea and shore
Stranded – alone

2.

Precious few, the power for life
And myriad muses dance to court
To me, I’m a dream; to them as well
Still above, yet wing-clipped grounded

3.

Pink-grey persuasion drifts
Listlessly
No home tonight, she bleats
And I the willful derelict

4.

“Yes, another. Oh, yes, I paid the other”
And I will pay you, too
For service; for quarter
For the kindness you so oft’ly show
To those of my kind – my sort
So I give you my smile
’tis all I have
This, my home, my shelter, I greedily give to you
My new, one-night mother

5.

“Departures” written on a big, black board
Flipping – changing; but no departure of mine
So I watch:
The beautiful women in slight slumber travel gear
The squadrons of ascot-marked marvels in tow, V’d behind patriarchs
The lone man, clad in black – bald; shaking head and hand profusely
The wayward travelers spy an eye, each face forged by journey
The tourist, clueless, bound to lose and bound to the will of circumstance

6.

And here I stand, beer in hand
Perched above yet again
Divining divination; professing my false prophecies
Freedman from the words of truth
Those of “the Father”
Pardoned from their sins by the faith
I’ve faltered

8.

Socket-mates
Paired! Doomed! At the mercy of the three-pronged
Divinity
Bags strewn about
Moat-ing bubbles; ill-will displays
Signs that say, “Do not hug me, Brother; do not see me, Sister”
So I do not see them
I am, after all, polite
But where shall I find my mate?

9.

Quick friends; open bar
Croons of “Oh”s and “Yeah”s
Absolut love and gooses gander
To ease, what may be,
The last meal either eats