n-judah love song

when I breathe recalling
how long it took me to get here
when the seductive curves of hills
remind me of
the choices I've faced
when I think of how I worked for this
I could sing you a love song
like an old lounge lizard

walking home at sunrise through warehouses
scanning faces in bus windows for clues, for you
"I look for you in the Mission"
is written on a bar bathroom door

and oh, I do

but I keep going
I fling myself
against the steep grade of hills
and from the crooked doors of bars
launch from swaying surfer balance at  stops
to find the next clue
written on concrete
or fragments of paper
on cardboard signs by the highway

you
san fran disco
make me want to write notes to myself
and knot them to my fingers
with pink string
to remind myself of all these things
to prevent future error
to talk and walk long circles around
to make sure I don't miss anything.

"when you are ill at ease in the heart,
take a walk.
be strong in the heart,
nothing lasts forever."