CRACK! TIMBER!

I miss Seattle rain and the snows of Mt. Rainier and Kilimanjaro
nature is so beautiful

I am wandering through a silent forest 

when all of a sudden CRACK! and there’s TIMBER!

a tree falls in the forest and I’m not sure 

if I heard a noise or not

Pacific Coast Highway; parting is such sorrow 

hitchhiking on a resplendent day

browns and yellows, oranges and reds - 

crayon the canyon

monument valley; monuments perhaps from god

or bequeathed by gods unknown

a big sky, an old town, and a cold coca-cola 

at the practically empty cafe

except for me and a waitress named Wanda

and some cook in the kitchen who I hear 

but never do see 

I always expect the worst and hope for the best 

the reality usually somewhere in between 

a cool breeze, a light rain

all is right with the universe from my vantage point 

as I sit down under a group of dripping pines

The San Francisco Poets

so she says “I had a flat tire this morning, my dog ran away, they turned off my electricity for non-payment, and I think I might have Covid…what’s new with you?

so I mumble; yeah, I just got back from Paris

I’m thinking…you had a tough day, you told us all about it, now do your job

but on another subject…

where you gone Lew Welch? never lost and never found

walking off into the woods one day

in the end, who knows where you found your peace

I saw a picture of a couple of the old gang

and I do mean OLD…so sadly this is what it’s come down to

Juan Valdez coffee in a sidewalk cafe with horns honking wildly

couldn’t see from my table what was going on

maybe some kind of running of the bulls here in Miami

later it’s wine from the bottle while listening to Zeppelin; my, aren’t we living large?

thinking about all those young voices of the San Francisco poets 

they’re almost all gone now

the gallery wall with the Picasso doesn’t speak; it doesn’t have to

the smiling docent can’t tell me anything I don’t know already

now it’s a hot june afternoon lounging by the swimming pool 

oldies radio station playing 

what am I in the mood for, a double manhattan, or something stronger?

I need something to go with my bologna and lettuce sandwiches extra mayo

The Catacombs of Lima

In downtown Lima, Peru there is a building that houses the famous catacombs of Lima. These catacombs were built underneath of what is called  the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco. Due to the killings and torture that took place during the Spanish invasion, many souls were left in pain, and inside the foreboding catacombs, there are many reports of seeing shadowy figures on walls, hovering over passageways and of hearing chilling sounds. I’ve been there and I can confirm this.The crypt's use as a cemetery was used for almost the entirety of the Spanish era of Peru with what is believed to be over 25,000 bodies located therein. No one knows for sure even how large the area is, for it has never been measured with any accuracy. The catacombs were an absolute must visit when I was in Lima seeing relatives, although so powerful are the stories of paranormal happenings taking place within them, none of my relatives except for my wife would go inside the catacombs with me. They were well-lit and the many skeletons and assorted bones could easily be seen as was the eerie figures of shadow people who inhabit the depths and the disembodied sounds that echo off the stone walls