poem of the day 11.12.10

street cred

the brother
at the car rental place
is impressed

brooklyn? he says
then he swaggers
toward our car
thinking about the east coast

the people in the bars
on the sunset strip, too

new york! the bartender squeals
as two guys tell her
that she looks like a chick
on a new jersey reality tv show

i’ve got street cred
here in los angeles
but i can’t find a decent bagel
or a place to get a beer
for under five bucks

i’ve got street cred
but i don’t care
driving down hollywood boulevard
having to take a piss
trying to be a badass
while american masses line the street
waiting for bruce willis
to give them a wave

yo, go yankees!
the waiter tells me
at the mexican place
i nod my head and give him
a sly wave
i love new york! he says
then he apologizes for california pizza

what’s with these people
and new york? my wife asks
i shrug because i don’t know
i tell her it’s penis envy
that their brains have been burned
by all of that sun

hey let’s go and buy sunglasses, i say
then we’ll sip martinis
in musso & franks’s
drive down sunset boulevard as the sun sets
with all of mountains growing dark
in the distance
with all of those palm trees lining the street
looking like big brushes
sweeping across the west coast sky.