Yesterday
it
was yesterdaywasnt it walking up El Camino walking
along the edge of the streetavoiding the sidewalk avoiding its crackedbroken buckled
concrete strand walking on it reading at the same time likely hed
stumble
besides the street was recently repaved
twice in a week earlier police had
pulled up behind him in squads tapped
their siren his head popped up out of
his book
he waited for them to come to him he hadnt flagged them
they wanted to know why he was
walking in the street
he told them Actually I wasnt
he explained he was
walking to the right of the bicycle lane he walked where cars could park but
hadnt
the street as he understood what a street waswhat a
thoroughfare was was where vehicles ran
he was not walking where vehicles
ran
it was an earnest explanation
they decided he wasnt being a
smart ass
one said Why don’t you walk on the sidewalk where
pedestrians are meant to walk?
Officer please yawanna give it a gander Does the city really wanna risk a lawsuit if I
trip an fall break my arm break my neck because the sidewalk terribly needs repair Its treacherous Ya recall the old childhood bit Step on a
line break your mothers spine never
understood why it wasnt Daddys probably
because he was the breadwinner Step on a
crack break your mothers back
That sidewalk aint a sidewalk
An I aint walking and reading on it when just off down broken curb is a
nice flat surface
end of discussion
Yesterday it was
while walking and
reading a bright hot sunny day heading over the the gym he was suddenly aware the air seemed incandescent ethereal
he was bathed in white light he actually
wondered if he was ascendingwondered if a car hadnt run him down killing him
instantly
although he
imagined the Dead dont wonder
lifting his head up looking around he was in the bicycle path all the vehicles panel trucks parked to
either side of Camino were white
he walked
in their reflected light
that
section of the street was visually radiant
it was awesome
a brilliantwhite
hyphen breaking up a maudlin sentence
0726, Twosday,
9 5. 17
1133,
Reggae Friday, 2 4. 21
