"A Tribute to Los Angeles" (a work in progress)

Overcrowded schools, track systems and old books
Lack of funding in education from low scores and economic recession
Poorer communities overlooked.
Poor public transportation
Long hours riding home
Sitting bitterly in traffic
With my thoughts driving alone.

I breathe in deep the smoke from San Bernardino and Ventura fires
Not too different from the smog of dirty engines
Driving up Vermont Avenue
Stop at an intersection to see a crack addict crossing the street
A few feet further a teenage mom is holding her baby’s hand
Look to the left and see an elderly man
Waiting to ride the bus
Blending into a background of friend chicken shacks, nail salons and mom and pop shops
Mixed into an array of Walmart, Krispy Kreme and Starbucks.

She is the river that runs from the San Gabriel mountains, to the San Fernando Valley and opens up to the Pacific Ocean by way of Long Beach.
She is Dodger Blue with her initials in white.
She is Purple and Gold from the Great Western Forum to the Staples Center.
She is the mentally ill or drug addict searching for shelter on Skid Row, roaming Little Tokyo and beyond.
She is the skater, the side walk performer, or drummer at Venice Beach.
She is celebrating her quinceanera in Boyle Heights.
She is cruising down Crenshaw Boulevard on warm summer afternoons.
She is selling drugs or fake IDs at MacArthur Park.
She is the homeless person holding a sign at the end of the freeway.
She is the Mexican selling oranges, coconuts, or flowers for a daily wage.
She is pushing her elote or ice cream cart down the block
She is selling bacon wrapped hotdogs and tamales outside of nightclubs and stores full of factory made clothes.
She is running her sewing machine from sun up to sun down above restaurants and wholesale/retail stores hidden among traffic-flooded streets.
She is the scent of barbecued ribs, carne asada or kalbi,
staining white dresses and Russell Athletic t-shirts with sangria.
She is the dream that makes people move from other countries, cities, and states.
She is the city that angels can get lost in
vast enough for scandals to be covered and forgotten.