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Ch'ang Shih (Long Poem)
In the Summer of seventy-five
we decided to make our way
into the mystery forest of stream/trees
where the road winds through endless switchback
twisting to and fro
our journey began in Huntington Beach
starting off in a red and white microbus
given to us to use
by John's folks such trusting souls
gas tanked full
plenty of music tapes eight track Sanyo
high hopes and foggy expectations of our trek north
up the state Long Beach gas capsules green
airport blinking down jumbo jet
cylindrical Tower of Holiday Inn
360 degree view of the metropolis
the 405 to 11 Harbor Freeway into Los Angeles
cool cats driving callidacs
be-bopping into the city
lane-change to the beat of Paul Butterfield
passing the scrappers of Downtown
a million windows in need of wash
overways underpasses interchanges cross-streets
hit 101 to Melrose
offramp stare at Mount Wilson Observatory
star-gazing over Big City
north on Melrose
stopping at Bodhi Tree
to find incense, books, prayer flags for excursion
head out with farewell prayers and wishes for sentient LA County
straight ahead to the 5
which hits 99 thru Bakersfield and Fresno
cities far removed from excellence of sea-water breeze
Fresno with its expansive area
of shopping paradises
the lone road travels stretched onward
heading for the hills rolling wander
up through stratas of the species
scrub and brush spray of stone
the city pulls back from our view waiting to be returned to
pine trees appear here and there
the beginning of forest
41 taking us on her curves Coarsegold/Oakhurst/Yosemite forks
we enter the Visionary Lands of Yosemite National Park
Mariposa Grove and Wawona and Badger Pass at 7,300 feet
Chinquapin happy hunting grounds of Native Sons
merge thru a tunnel or two rock lined drive built by cons
solid granite blocks of Aztec design
dipping down to the Valley entrance of Yosemite
it opens before us
like it did for John Muir
revealing a billion years of glacier erosion rain snow hot sun
streaking lines down sheer cliffs
this is where they take Chevrolet commercials
the perfect American Dream....
for the first sight of Valley beauty
we jutted up the Glacier peak road
and checked out the whole trip from 7,214 feet
proceeding to go in Village of Despair
everyone enjoying the grandiose all at once
fine powerful flow of the Merced at High Tide
Answering the call of fishermen
the dream of Anglers
stay the nite at Sunny Side camp
great gathering of lost travelers
50 cents a nite nobody pays
the armed guard rangers with their probe-light
search for smoke and good times
never go far from trails
might get jumped
a few fires around lighting the faces
peaceful mosquito free time
of jokin' singing and listening
days here are hell next to insect-ridden Merced
tremendous breed-ground for the 'ten-thousand' things
humming omnipresent blood seeking creatures
too much of a good thing 'spoiled' by skeeters
onward onward to The City
San Francisco we hail your call
as your faithful children we come
driving free back to you
putting out of the valley
tree lined paradise of city-dwelling mare
out on 140 Merced bound
El Portal of my eye
Briceburg/Midpines/Mount Bullion/Cathey's Valley
down the stratas seeing in reverse
pine trees ferns rivers streams
to brush scrub oak and steam
flattening out on Merced plains
where farmers do it like nothing happened
140 to 580 Atwater/Modesto/Livermore straight to the cool Bay
Onward Hayward! across the San Mateo bridge
first of many to be crossed
first look of many at the poetical Bay
the City looms ahead filled with goodness
arrive scan scam rest on coast at end of Golden Gate Park
Chinatown with Ancient script message
T'ai Ch'i walking club gangs
trash strewed alleys of forgotten pictures
exotic diet of fish and vegetables
them Chung guo jens (Chinese) eating the same
for 3 thousand years
pickled chicken eyes and a piece of Carrot
City Lights Bookstore beaming from the past into the future
conscious center of weary traveler
homy Om of my friends
the contact between me and
Ginsberg
Kerouac
Ferlingetti
Corso
Roxroth
Cassidy
Burroughs
McClure
the friends dearest to me whom I've never met
know their lives well
could tell them who their mother was
and where she lives
deep breaths in City Lights
to be Home in the fog of memories
downstairs hearing ghost voice of Kerouac
filling the room with enthusiasm
next door used books been there a while
seen a few things being next to Lights
I'd camp out if they'd allow it
but you know how it is in the midst of billy-clubs
stumble down to the Wharf and scarf Clam Chowder
reading Children of God Moses David
another evening in the bus
crashing in San Francisco end of line
the sights of far north hypnotize us penultimately
off we go to Oregon
San Rafeal Bay side love land
with John Muir woods at the end of town
winding out to ancient and wind-swept coast
Mountain range dips to the sea's edge
the ocean violently beats the tide pools
making fine sand of solid rock such is water's virtue
Hiway 1 it is
travelled by the fleeing flower children years ago
om-ing their way to the seclusive Oregonian beauties
Bolinas/Point Reyes/Tomales/Bodega/the Sonoma coast
all this country and they scream we're running out of land
Stewarts Point/Sea Ranch/Anchor Bay/Point Arena and Fort Bragg
outside Rockport 1 becomes 101
away from the coast for a while into Redwood enchantment
we stop for visit with commune buddies
living in tipis with pot growing all around it
Tibetan prayer flags guide you there
down dirt road named Shit Fuck Piss
at the end is the Naked Lady Saloon
a bunch of freaks live in the bar
partying rootin' and tootin' cowboys
they own the property
lots of homegrown
Neo-American Bookstore
with ALL the books on psychedelics
a guy named steve runs it
up and out the VW making bacon
easy on gas at 60 cents a gallon
only three times as much as last time pass thru
Humboldt County fine place of green sea pastures
old wood barns on the coast
breaking down from the years of tears
all the redwood groves being eaten away
by the hungry loggers
so as we can enjoy redwood lined saunas
Fortuna and of course Eureka
with places such as Blue Lake/Bayside and Freshwater
pass through Crescent City
last city in California on the Coast Hiway
from Crescent City in our high state
we push the bus on
on astral ascension into Del Norte County Heights
Upper State rivers winding around the road
Six Rivers Country
memories of my first run thru these hills
199 all the way to Grants Pass Oregon
where they were shooting hippies a few years back
all pick-ups have easy-rider rifle racks in the window
life is just as I left it
hill billys in pie stand
getting down on a home cooked meal
talk about trout
and how Crater Lake is polluted
got stagnant this year
snowed in sewer lines
backup-up shit fouled the drink water
no body at this time can enter
Siskiyou Mountains with a million trails
and not a soul on them
miles and miles and miles and miles of forest trees and rivers
Gold Hill vortical vortex of the western hemisphere
straight thru the arth is the pinnacle of
the Great Pyramid of Giza
Super Energies of Earth
Magnetic swirls of surround belts
keeps everything together
the trees next to the vortex itself bend inward
Medford's the big city of the Rogue Valley
worked there in Pear factory
a perfect 26 degrees in the cooler I was in
liftin' 50 pound boxes of green pears
ship off to Argentina in freighters
Maltese Cross Sun-Sugared Pears/Harry and David Orchards
heading south now
back down into the barren depths
Interstate 5 South
stop at Ashland home of the Shakespearean Festival
Lithia Park with bubbly Lithia water
big black cat pan-handling for Heroin
in front of police station
Marc says he works for the Man
I review Ashland my home long ago
drive back on Grandview road high above Pristine Ashland
see Gertrude my mountain mother
goat/rabbit raiser smoking Velvet pipe tobacco
in hand rolled cigarette
drinking goat milk and eating rabbit meat
Marc got powerful telescope checks out Oregonian Sky
flute/guitar
hate to leave
but losing the clothes in laundry helped us along
up and over Majestic Shasta
protruding solitarily
snow capped home of Tibetan Refugees
Mother Thedras receiving station for Direct Message
cross the great ranges of Klamath National Forest
back in California
we take 89 to Historic Site of Mt. Lassen Volcanic Park
McCloud/Bartle/Pondosa/Hat Creek/Old Station
red orange purple mountains devoid of trees
steam rising from Mother Earth's bowels
sulphur bubble pots oozing of springs
rainbow colored mud spilling
hot and cold streams
billows of smoke/steam
primordial scene of the beginning
pterodactyls breath contained in the sight of this
remembering Brontosaurus meal at dawn
in the cloud obscured sun of preCambrian times
no stop here drive further
Chico/Orland/Interstate 5 picks us up again
casting us back
back to mid-way perfect point San Francisco
we been thinking about her all this time
fair lady ocean three sides
if looking at map you can see how all roads and streams
converge towards her
pulling it together in *Sacrament*-O funnel to GREAT BAY
sun sets in review mirror
setting on the Oregon we just left
I drive late all the way to The City from Lassen
wanting bad to get there
take advantage of John's folk's credit card
we cross Valleyho bridge
scuttling thru Berkeley in the dark dream light
of streaming cars cytoplasmic
over the double-decker miracle Oakland Bay Bridge
didn't have anything smaller than a fifty (all I had)
the guy had to radio for permission to cash
we scared him being long-haired woodsy critters
he did it finally and off off away across the bay
into the heart of our beloved San Francisco
looking for Hotel to check in to
Fisherman's Wharf Holiday Inn
Said sorry you'll have to make reservations
two weeks in advance
slept on beach tired and very spaced
arose to look for showering tower
went to Berkeley side got room at Holiday Inn
10 floors up primo deluxe
fresh shower filled with renewed power
Shambala Bookstore Telegraph Road
everybody selling their trip on the sidewalk
to see it still happening
shopped it all even pinball
Orange Julius consciousness
made it to Co-Op
and back o Hotel Room 1014
color optics and grand view of the freeway
clear light sugar cube for a relaxed evening
into a dream clean sheets
check out sign 32.00 bill
headin' for home
Oakland smokestacks line the shore
waiting to smoke away
17 to 101 South-Bound
our thoughts in a haze
returning to the dry image of LA Basin
where you can cut slices of the atmosphere and eat it
openness of the back side Coastal Range
superfluent Oaks
the oldest being around two hundred
no thought of expectation
just going home
like we know it so well
San Jose/Gilroy/Watsonville/Salinas/King City/
Paso Robles/San Luis Obispo
touch the sea Pismo Beach
drivin' man straight thru piss out the window
Santa Maria/Santa Barbara/Ventura/Oxnard
these places require the best of poets minds
digging deep for the images
we up and over the last time
to behold the City of Angels
all we get is rumbling of the stomach
wondering why it happened here
dry dry dry
like a nickel novel bought in used book shop
read it and not thinking twice
dust collectors item
inner neural circuits leading pulling to Huntington
the rare jewel in this steel concrete wilderness campground
the familiar smell of those Oilers
flairs my nostrils once again
a little more moving than nostalgia
I can smell the incense from here
the driveway the way we always find/leave it
ever the same
after seeing the utterness of everything
we come back to the fabled scene of Huntington Nirvana
resting eternally on the shores of the
Peaceful Pacific
calling us home once again....
Om Point in the world at 515 7th Street
wondering when I'll really return....
Summer 1975
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