when we lived in los angeles
a pair of coyotes climbed up a rock
on the outskirts of Griffith Park
waiting for traffic to clear
coyote one crossed
to a firebreak trail
looking back at coyote two
as if to say
follow
when we lived in los angeles
a mountain lion
made her way downtown
in search of food
she curled up and slept
inside an open-air mall
on 3rd Street
Animal Control brought
nets and long sticks then
shot her
dead
when we lived in los angeles
plump avocados and pomegranates
hung from trees
over high walls
of private gardens
into public alleyways
where homeless people
huddled behind trash cans
out of
sight
Alien Buddha Press 