by Thomas D. Hill
Thomas D. Hill is currently a student at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). Previous to his work at UCSC, he attended San Francisco State University. While in San Francisco, he helped co-host a weekly "Open-Mike" for the performance of poetry and spoken-word art. Thomas D. Hill was raised in the Sacramento area. His poetry has been influenced by his "California upbringing," and generally focuses on issues pertaining to life as a "coming-of-age" adult in California--particularly dealing with the history of poetics in the Central California.
Stand still
There is forever here
Steam rises from the sewer
She said
She was
--Can you still feel Yours? Your large American feet?--
The light raises off the street
She said
San Francisco
they took Me to
but they forgot to tell you why
You said
Breathe with Me
there is nothing to hear
but
large American endings
in your endings
We are on our way
on our way out
San Francisco
You
were large American beginnings
She said
How romantic Big City
He said
It’s the evaporation
of yesterdays
beneath the street
beneath us
The sun sets twice
in the City
Once for the buildings
and once for the fog
rolling out
into Pacific falling star nights
on the Bay
He said
The fog never stops
It only ends
in San Francisco
beautiful American endings
of years
that had to be made
when the world was an arcade
of streetlights throwing
diamonds
onto her
It was forever
a race from light
to light to see
who would collapse first
a race
from Spain
to Greece
and every inch between
ended in You
and every inch
was a space
San Francisco
could not see
She said
chronic bohemianism
is an affliction
that infects the feet
and he sees a world
that does not
destroy him
He said
A world of large definitions
and small apartments
She said
But what a great apartment
this is where it all can end
She said
Poetics create a world for You
can you deal with that?
And I said
that sure maybe
the City gets razed to the ground tonight
but what about tomorrow morning?
You wake up and breathe
don’t move
just breathe
Large American endings
Large visionary definitions
the shadows of little girls
stretch farther
than the shadow of life
in this town
San Francisco
You are cheap clothing and
25 cents please
but you can’t cough it up
Visions of light
the image and the fury
reflected in your own windows
You don’t know
how to quit
Do You
San Francisco
smoke and steam
You are
a dog afraid of Coit’s tower
and an old man
afraid of Your night
You are
Greek food, dolma and gyros
with wine and honeysuckle
in Your 14 mystical hills
I rode
Your streets
16 million light bulbs
electric intentions of remembrance
each light bulb
a dream
from someone
to someone
didn’t they?
so you figured it out yourself
didn’t You?
don’t fall in love
You’ve got park benches to sit on
don’t work too hard
You’ve got windows to look at
He said
I end in You
San Francisco
Big City
smoke and steam
Large American Ending
with Your shadow
that stretches farther
than the shadow of God
in this Town
Large American Definition
of gasoline
and love
He said
Yes, San Francisco
steam and soot
San Francisco
it was forever
He said
Large San Francisco endings
He San Francisco
said Large
You said
Endings
He San Francisco
He said
San Francisco Definitions
You Said
Large Endings
He said
San Francisco
He said
San Francisco
and worship Your own light.
All text and images in The Central California Poetry Journal are copyrighted. Copyright by © by Scott Galloway 1998. All rights are reserved. See main Journal page for
copyright information.
Authors and poets submitting original materials to this journal retain all rights to their
original work, except those rights specifically assigned in writing to Solo Publications including the right to publish the submitted work in The Central California Poetry Journal. The poems on this page are copyrighted by the author. Copyright © Thomas D. Hill 1999.
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