Poem: Nothing is Cool

Started upstate along
arrowhead hudson
after school snow-cones
and holy ways
left it though
for a west coast dream
while the eucalyptus clicked
and springsteen rehearsed
i visited whole earth stewart
who hangs in sausalito but
drives a land rover anyway
so i tailgate pickups north
war weary like twain
to calaveras and more tall tales
hitched to seattle but
right from the start
nirvana saw it coming
cashed-out californians
wearing pricy jeans
torn at the knee
picked up 80 east
sang taylor songs
from stockbridge back
to boston’s bronze revere
looking for the citgo sign
just as drunk but without you
90 to the thruway while
springsteen hits the garden
and explains the pain
the east can’t shake
and me wishing
ron howard was bent over
my california dreaming script
a start-up story in a garage
rags to riches to rags
because i haven’t been able
to follow it up with anything
that cool since.