California

california smells different

a musky smell of dusty palm trees

swaying in time to shallow desires of fame

cigarettes put out on cement sidewalks

people sighing about social dilemmas

and fashion choices

the los angeles streets running all the way upstate

into car windows and our collective consciousness

san francisco ocean waves

the boardwalk a pale fire at sunset

sand dispersed in waves of contemplation

a sadness and promise of better things

to come to those

who saw this state

as a re-do and new start