California

Golden hills
Along the highway
Quiet yearning
Marigold
Muted memory
Dancing pictures

California, I've returned

Little sister
In the shallows
Laughing down the
Hallways of my mind
I hear the screen door
Slam behind her

California, treat her kind

All these faces
Names escape me
I can't place it
But I've known you before
Time makes for
Shaky recognition

California, California, I am home

Winding river
Headlights blinding
In the blackness
Before dawn
I summon angels
On the backroads

California, I am gone