Central California Poetry Journal

Volume 99 Number 1

The Poetry of Central California Page 9112

The Poetry of Bess Kemp

Bess Kemp is a transplanted New Englander now living in American Canyon Ca. Her poetry appears in current or forth-coming issues of The River Valley Journal, Papyrus, Ariga, The poetry Repair Shop, Remark and Gray Matter Tapestry amongst others. She is the editor of the on-line poetry journals ~ Some Words: A Place for Poetry ~ and ~ The Anville Family Tree ~

Road Trips Between Somewhere and Nowhere

All that open space
waiting in fear of some
developer who will come along
and level it
to build great monstrosities
all along the 5 freeway

leave the jackrabbits homeless
stop the tumbleweeds in their tracks
yellow and green hills
running alongside the road
will become havens
for massive housing tracts
the beauty of the land
raped and used

the hours pass and pass
on the ride between
L.A. and Sacramento
serene beauty is there
keeping company
breaking the monotony
how long will it take

before someone sells out
and delivers the deed
to this strip of land
between somewhere and
nowhere?

To The Past

he likes to take his walks
down the old roads
paths not taken
in a very long time

some
lead to places
laden with fog and
leaden with longing
others to regret

occasionally
one will simply lead
to a beautiful stone wall
surrounding old ghosts
and memories

those are the paths
that make the journeys
worthwhile indeed

Philosophy

the sun
began its ascent
across the desert
where the rocks
and cactus
serve as punctuation
to the view
looking west
even at sunrise

California

New England
is in my blood
always has been
even as I make my home
close to the Pacific
I will remain
where I am
keeping watch from
the cliffs
wanderlust forgotten
as I watch the sun
set into the waves
in shimmering orange
perfection

All text and images in The Central California Poetry Journal are copyrighted. Copyright by © by Scott Galloway 1999. 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 © Bess Kemp 1999.

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