I remember LA - Part I

I remember LA  - Part I

I remember LA

With the Santa Ana winds
That blow in from the East
And the rains in November and March
I remember the traffic on the freeways.
I remember the fire season in the fall.

I remember that person
In the bright yellow Porsche
With his brains splattered
All over the side window
With the blood running down the window
As the cars drove by five miles an hour
On the Santa Ana freeway
Looking
Before the cops showed up
On the way to work.

I remember Echo Park
Where the cops find more dead babies in the lake
Than any other place in LA

I remember the reporters aren’t allowed into LA County Hospital
I remember that my sister worked there
And that every night around three AM
How it becomes very busy

I remember that there were from six to fifteen or so people
That die there every night from stabbings or gunshot wounds.

I remember bowling
At Hollywood Stars Lanes on Melrose Boulevard
And how we went afterwards to eat.

I remember going to this bar on Melrose once
And how there was this large dance floor area
Between the bar and the tables.
I remember Wanda saying to me
See those girls up at the bar
I said. Yeah.
She said, They aren’t women
In fact Sue and I are the only women in here.

I remember asking.  Where’s Leon.
He’s up at the bar.  Wanda said.
I asked her. Go tell him we want to get out of here.
She said. I’m not going up there.  You go.
I said. I don’t want to go up there.
Sue said. Look at all those sleeping bags over there by the wall.
I said. I’ll go up and tell Leon that we want out of here.
We’ll wait outside for you.  Sue said.

I told Leon that we were leaving.
He said. Wait till I’m done with my drink.
This is my friend Joe
He works down on Fountain (The Kaiser Print Shop that Leon is in charge of)
Leon said. As he introduced me to the Bartender
And bought me a drink
We never saw Sue or Wanda when we left.