Los Angeles Series by Joshua Baldwin

Joshua is a super cool dude who writes and lives in Brooklyn. More excellent work of Josh can be seen HERE.

Driving around Los Angeles

we stopped at a post

to buy some newspapers

and sodas. In a paper bag

— the brown sermon —

things stayed until we reached

Malibu. Then we read

and drank through straws until dark.

*

How can you swear by the bank?

I am asking

if you had a choice

between a Doric column

and the aforementioned stall

with its windowed in

shadowy palm

what would you, a psycho,

choose?

*

On the public dime he stood

rakish and flea-borne illnesses abound.

I’m talking about the garage

and the men who sit in front of it.

You know what they do

and I want you to talk about it.

*

Paper balls and bags of young

sticks hit drums and writers flock

to the train station:

they’re hiring in Hollywood again.

*

We treated her like shit for no reason.

Still, she’s part of the community

and we do trust her

and she will be famous

and the light is good

overhead and read by.

*

Looking back, I know

we were all dogs

that brittle August afternoon

in the throes of our crisis.

*

This book’s so fragile

I shouldn’t bring it out anymore

in my back pocket.

I’d better leave it

on my desk,

and write in it only there.

Sitting outside though

and able to pull it out anytime:

there’s pleasure in that,

the kind of pleasure

only Los Angeles allows.

*

It’s hard to think

upon it now

but I played tennis

once. The grain

in my bowl

mixed with yogurt—

I stare down, reading.

The news is good.

It hasn’t been this way

in a very long time.