oh, los angeles

oh, the chaos of los angeles
it is too much for some

the traffic, the smog,
the heat, the dryness,
the funny-tasting tap water,
the blaring movie billboards,
the too-perfect looking people,
the trying-too-hard-to-be-perfect-looking

but oh, the wonders of los angeles
all that keeps some going (staying)

the little gems tucked into all corners,
the warm days, the adventure of highway closure detours,
the favorite late-night taco spots,
the sight of the mountains on a clear day,
the perilous curves of the 110 through arroyo seco,
the distances people drive to see beloveds,
the hunger, oh, the hunger most of all

the hunger to know one another,
the hunger to uncover how people survive
the sharing of hunger
to bring dreams to light

amidst the chaos
there can be miracles

traffic is an excuse to sing your favorite song
at the top of your lungs, and dance in your seat
to smile at the stranger in the next car, finding
community in the frustration

and the too-perfect looking people are not
always so perfect-looking, and we meet them
and they are real, and we are all just trying to be real
in whatever way we were taught
in whatever way we think we need to be to live

and we are all chasing dreams

it is easy to forget
how to chase
where the weather is cooler

so i am learning to carry the heat with me
and the hunger

and remind myself
there are hungry ones
everywhere

and i need only
be willing to find them

which is the case
everywhere

but oh,
los angeles.