Los Angeles
Is the closest we ever came to heaven
We wandered together and unafraid
Laughed full bellied
Until the valley glowed a brilliant orange
Held each other in tiny apartments
That always had enough room for our dreams
And the too many clothes I packed

I'll remember you at your best
With the faint glow of a city filled with angels resting on those gorgeous eyes


We came “home”
Nestled back into the comfort of our cruelty
Suffocated our valor with untruth
Made kindling of whatever good intentions remained

The smoke has cleared now, all that is left
Is a photo you were bent on not smiling for
The dreams that survived
And of course, the wounds
Some of which were here before we collided

I figured the least I could offer is this poem-
A star to commemorate the casualties
A prayer that we’ll know love
The way we knew it on Hollywood Boulevard

I have since gone back
Sat at our table
Had sweet sacrament in remembrance of you
It is a pilgrimage I make to honor the slice of holiness we had


You can give whatever you want to whomever you choose to make a home out of
Children, promises, even forever
But only I know what you look like against a California sunset
With wind in your hair
Your brow unburdened by life

Thank you for sitting in the warm sand with me along a begging shore
May God bless the beautiful failures we made
I am grateful to have failed with you
Thank you for LA
For the space to be brave enough
To become myself