California

By Donny Shankle

I will miss you golden state

You are the land of milk and honey

San Francisco's spectacular golden gate

Your sandy beaches are so very sunny

This is the second time I have had to leave you

For the same reason in case you forgot

For a dream my spirit does still pursue

Remember Clear Lake and all the fish we caught

So many great memories with you my mistress

Never once did you hurt me as I walked your streets and shores

Your Chardonnay is the best and of course your citrus

I recommend Napa valley if you like making love outdoors

Evidently I am off this time to the east coast

Never expected that but what the hell it will be an adventure

I wonder if she will be as gracious a host

Or if the girls there are as tanned and slender

I hope blue can make it across

Last time black betty nearly didn't make it

I will miss your sushi with wasabi and soy sauce

I still want to ride a great white if you'll permit

I'll miss those hippies smoking joints next to a beach bonfire

I'll miss those raider fans you never want to fuck with

I gotta keep pushing though before these muscles expire

I'll miss looking at the Pacific where I sat upon a monolith

Some things they'll suppose we only imagined

Like the time we slept together in a redwood tree

We do not need to convince them it happened

Never have I felt more alive, more happy, more free

You always seem to call me to renown and fame

To be as formidable as Yosemite's waterfalls in the north

Your children are pioneers who are neither timid nor lame

To be as warm and beautiful as Coronado in the south

I promise I'll come back to wrestle your waves

And to taste your avocados as soft as lips

Right now I must take care of something my heart craves

Leaving you though feels like a solar eclipse

Here I developed many intimate bonds

Here I have walked amongst Eden's flora

Here I have seen the most beautiful blondes

I am going to miss you California