N a p a l m H e a l t h S p a : R e p o r t 2 0 1 0

MARC OLMSTED

SILVER HAND

(SFO-Halifax-NYC roundtrip)

1

Preparing for a trip

I wait to meet Thom I. for dinner –

Mission zone, Valencia & 16^th sipping tea

hidden in the window watching commuters

mix w/ petty crime-junk world

bohemia cheap realm artists

elder smoking Latinos chatting on the

bench outside acknowledging beauty

whatever form of woman

& the white rasta mad man has a clotted braid

reaching blondish squirrel pelt below his ass

as he now enters with big rumped brunette

to buy something what will it be?

Fresh apple juice! A scone!

2

“The Wired Monk”

in Shambhala Kindgom (original name for Shangri-la of legend)

a café in Halifax 5000 miles (?) 4 hours ahead –

I’ve receive the oral transmission (lung) today the ritual feast (tsok) –

all hail Chogyam Trungpa disembodied Rigden King of Halifax

(who established meditation central HQ here)

with its old bricks European

its big San Francisco bridges

its cyberpagan Burning Man tattooed hippie kids (3 universities)

international backpack travelers expensive hotels

and lack of homeless

or visible police except middle of the night

apprehending drunk driving youngsters w/ a benign white van

& my new friend Tibetan translator Larry M.

watches the same True Blood cable TV HBO vampire show

as me in this faraway

arctica fairlyland elemental

stormcloud raw

3

Return to America NYC

return to genocide and slavery karma,

return to war country Mars country

return to the airport standing predawn concrete doorway sidewalk stinking of urine

Return to kingdom where eyes don’t meet

acknowledgement means wanting a cigarette a deal a handout a cocksuck a dope bust

having read w/ unsung worker poet Andy Clausen Bowery Poetry Club

toughest audience ever

now returning home to what poet Clausen calls

“toughest town in America” Oakland, California

sitting in an airport terminal

where my outloud laughter at

Sarah Palin conservative nut on CNN widescreen

(comments on Obama health care plan) draws stares –

horrified I watch an Afghani insurgent blown up –

but the well-dressed mom turns only for Elizabeth Hasselbeck celebrity’s new baby

cold America cruel America secret shadow government America umbrella corporation Manchurian corporation International Bank –

to not trust Obama is to admit the end

to consider Halifax move

to hunker down cut costs cut back

want to be a star? eyes stolen heart stolen posing fatless airbrushed zombie

Queen of America

they’ve torn down the stature of liberty

a large silver metal hand at the gate of JFK

holding the latest Japanese cellphone

that

even will

live your life

8/6 to 8/10/09