around here

The Spirits Birds have gathered again They talk in the trees What they are saying I can’t say The cats the homeless cats Sit in the sun to get warmed They see me go outside Expect me to feed them like my aunt Nena does All twelve of them Someone abandoned on Longview Road I check on my sage plant not long ago planted It is doing fine I look at the sky Clouds are moving in Like horses grazing I try to picture in my mind Children walking to school in Stockton The Metro Buses rushing by The traffic thick as syrup The horns the loud music The homeless ones Moving about on the sidewalks Pushing grocery carts with all their belongings The houses the buildings the wires the signs And I find I don’t miss that No comparison with the picture before me Golden leaves asleep on the moist earth The countryside the chickens the roosters the cats Two little Mexican boys in the yard outback Looking for something to play with The broken down cars the dogs the hawks The spirits must have guided me here To this broad place of contemplation That I may find myself again In the shadows of this world Where birds speak that I may listen That my eyes may be opened That my heart flow again in the rhythm of simplicity.