Reinvention, You say

So
You finally departing LA
Was an epiphany
Come 40 years late
You say

Like spreading your arms
You say
Jumping from the garage roof of your youth
And flying
Finally
Flying

It was possible
You say
No longer some fantasy
To spread one's wings
To float freely
Buoyant in an ether
Void of gilded streets
Noisy egos
All-night misery clubs
And imprisoned mornings
Hangover hell
You say

The nightmare that was yours
Dreamed with impoverished adolescent verve
Now but a palm-tree campus back then
Where so much what-not-to-learn
Was ingested with scholarly passion
Convinced that summa cum laude for Hollywood
Meant you beat the odds
Survived
Groveled through snot and razor wire in your escape
With a modicum of dignity
You say

Perhaps
The city will one day be ready to visit again
Its gregarious pomp
And plenty of circumstance
No longer of deafening noise
Its slippery handshake
No longer able to hold in place
The man that finally broke loose from
The garage roof
And soared
Knowing that the day
Of departure vanished forever
Serving but as memory
For reinvention
You say

Yes
That's what I say