Two California Parks in Early Spring
I. Concord Skateboard Park
Sheltered in this smooth, round,
concrete nest of dips and curves,
obelisks and giant, Mayan steps
on a blind corner
hidden by small hills
from two busy streets
intersecting at its tip,
Twenty boys,8 to 18,
practice their moves,
swiveling one-pointedly
up and down and around.
Some day they’ll move on
from this birthing-ground,
swiveling down the decades
on a board or office chair.
A few girls watch,
Sprawled on the grass.
Behind them all,
flowering crabapples, palms,
then the mountains.
The city’s wise to have
invested a few bucks
toward its future
in an old, vacant lot.
II. A Chant To Heather Farms Park
Sun of fire,
water of lake and fountain,
earth whose soil sustains the lawns,
and air of the sweet breath of spring:
the four elements are holding
a conclave here on this Sunday afternoon,
drawing many families,
and especially, today,
calling forth many sounds.
Oh, park of a basketball's steady bounce,
of lovers whispering in Russian
and the creaking rhythm of swings.
Park of car engines starting,
[...] Read more
poem by Max Reif
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