Chinatown

We took the turtles back to Chinatown
because our day jobs didn't allow enough funds
for food or filtration
and the old Chinaman that sold them to us
scratched his scaly head
and snorted, "make much nonsense to hand back!
Turtles good luck and wort off evil spirit! Ancestors go back thousands of year! Here, take more food . . ."
he handed us a bag of pellets that looked like rat droppings
and the girl looked at me and I looked at her
and we just laughed
reciting to him
a Sikh funeral hymn
"The sunbeam blends with sunlight and the water drop
is absorbed into water becoming saturated."
he scratched some more scales from his head
the hidden DNA code of his ancestors
taking refuge under his yellow fingernails
and he looked more confused
then when we first made the scene
henceforth we split
popping like colorful confetti cannons
spilling our crazy souls out onto N. Broadway
ducking red lanterns that burned
in the golden flames of the dragon's breathe
running wild with love
all over the streets of downtown Los Angeles
making a sensible display of obscenity
wanting heavy drink in the mid afternoon
but again,
our day jobs didn't allow us the luxury
so I stole a kiss
on the stained sidewalk
out in front of a fruit stand
where Chinese children
pushed mini apples into my pockets
and yanked my pants
for funds
but the rain didn't
come
and off in the distance
the 101 was crawling
madness in mufflers
exhaustion in engines
and the I-10 W towards Santa Monica
was a dead stop
sort of like our
lives.