“I Love LA”
A bank of clouds has pitched their tents high above Los Angeles, another homeless tribe who find the weather to their liking. I’d like to visit them, talk a walk through camp, careful where I step & I promise not to repeat what I saw happening there. Maybe wander until I am above the HOLLYWOOD sign, pause to marvel at the view, the way the sign needs a coat of paint, the way couples fuck in the grass below. Some neighbors to the sign want Google maps to not list the sign’s address, not their driveways, only the tow away zones, the hydrangea bushes. Confidential. Keep it as private as the Temple on the Rock, Beyonce’s favorite mirror, the House Minority Leader’s recliner or the Coke recipe. Okay, okay, I am leaving. Don’t yell. Think I’ll mosey on home. I like to mosey; sounds like I’m doing something fun.
“Paid by the Mile”
I get paid by the mile not long-haul trucking they lied to us at school the jobs aren’t there. We move containers from one part of LA to another. Not even a second seat in my truck, no sleeper, just a logbook, a place for a lunchbox & hardhat. Don’t ask what’s in that water bottle. In traffic I get cut off. A lot. So my right leg is stronger than the other because i clutch, clutch all day. You’d think cars would know better. I got a 40 foot trailer behind me & I push & it pushes back. Little car you change lanes & trust in my brakes, ignore gravity. Thing is, the Highway Patrol writes tickets for backending. They ought to write tickets for cars front braking. I’m saving up for a dashboard camera. Next week there is a holiday so double time. I’m on it, don't look back at me. I’m on doubletime.
Travis Stephens is a tugboat captain who lives and works in California. His book of poetry, “skeeter bit & still drunk” was published by Finishing Line Press. Visit him at: zolothstephenswriters.com
Terrific voice and imagery. Thanks for making the morning so much more dynamic.