IN THE LAND OF SMOKES

When the Tongva lived
‘Neath bent willow and tule
Their wood fires smudging
The wide Blue Skies.

Where Coastal sage scrub
Edged Marshy wetlands
Springs flushed
And creeks meandered.

When Oaks stood
For food and shade
And on-shore winds
Whipped across the Dunes.

Where the Ocean
Was Raddled with schools
Of fish and mollusks
Crowded on the beach…

This is the swell of an Ancient
Yet Abiding Consciousness that
Still stirs within the deep pools
Of our Pride and Pretension.