Multiconstruct

This poem was shouted down as hippy drivel by Mike Leonardi the first time i tried to recite it at a party in the Old West End in Toledo. So take it for what its worth, full on exuberance about a really special place. All bad poetry is sincere.

I wrote this at Point Reyes when i was visiting John in the late 90s. He didn’t have a vehicle but we rode out with a mutual friend from CAN, John Davies and the three of us did a five mile hike to a pretty isolated and amazingly beautiful beach/cliff side. John and I camped a few days and then hitchhiked back to Oakland. In addition to what i remember in the poem the other thing i remember is how much sulfur was in the water. We had packed in some, drank sparingly and mixed in the well water when we had too. Harsh. Great trip, the skies in the west are so vast especially with the clean air coming from the vast Pacific. The venerable oak there is still one of my favorite trees, and I wrote this in my head on the walk to and from the tree:

I walked five miles across the ridge top

To get to the beach at Point Reyes

The sun shining over the ocean

Is more beautiful than i can say.

The pelicans fly over the crashing waves

While at camp the kit foxes play

Hide and seek with our apples and t-shirts

While the sun sinks into the Bay.

The constellations shine as we lay on the ground

There’s shooting stars across the Milky Way

The vastness of space surrounds me

Its the perfect end to the day.

We’re out on the trail at the break of dawn

To hike to the ancient oak tree

We sit in the shade of its massive limbs

There is no place that I’d rather be.

I walked five miles across the ridge top

To get to the beach at Point Reyes….