WATTS SHADORMAS

(Los Angeles Public Library Photo Database)

Watts Shadormas #1


“Willowbrook”
Green, Imperial
Section Eight,
Plaza Mex,
busy-bee Long Beach Bull-vard.
fueling, fixing, please.

One oh five,
east eighty miles per
stitch in time
‘sixty-five
east of pass. or west of pass.,
big invisible.

Reverand
Pike’s candid report
card, effort-
lessly tells
Yorty, Parker they’re hiding
delicate praytells.

Frye Brothers,
catalyst-riding
Armyman
little ‘bro
two blocks from Ma’s casa
come out in rollers.

Public homes,
courtyard laundrylines,
fuzzy all-
eys and lots,
Crips, Bloods, mafia spinsters,
grizzly mattresses.

Compton Ave.,
east one oh third street
Alame-
da, Mona,
sticking in, out of city
line like jaggedshards (green).


(Los Angeles Public Library Photo Database)

Watts Shadormas #2


Pacific
Electric Comp-
any, gets
land from Watts
of Pasadena for rail-
loot combinations.

Overpass-
es and junctions, con-
verge pillars
flashing sign-
age and four way stops under
lonely extensions.

Garage-lawn,
oilrainbow vortex,
Willowbrook,
east one third.
M-L-K Polytech Mall,
guarded by half-cops.

Copious,
black plumes of gasfire
neglected
catalyst,
Utopia Cleaners and
Pastrami Burgers.

Cue ball helm-
ets and hipped shotguns
or roof fires
and peace tanks
never an in between, never
the ranch town it plays.

Shadormas
for your Spanish ghosts
quemado
sleep cycles,
blinds slicing white-hot coins, shade
from distant arcades.



(Los Angeles Public Library Photo Database)

Watts Shadormas #3


Lavande-
ria y café
de olla
Kaiser Perm-
anente, suavemente
free sonogram truck.

Chicken coops,
Old Slauson Tower,
May Day Dance,
perp. line-up,
Vermont Ave. stores, Jordan Downs
bungalow picket.

An immense
wave of years plummets:
Headstart Tent,
McCone Rep-
ort bullhorned Alameda
Ave., Central., Cent-ry (rhymes with Gentry).

Railroad roads
ringing barriers
silos and
cisterns and
Regional Operation
Centers and bum lairs.

Bungalow
stone, cottage prison
bars, over
the windows,
slippers and pajamas, corn-
er store door mid block.

Depth charges
lurk places din’s scared
to emit,
emote, re-
sound gruff decibels?



(Los Angeles Public Library Photo Database)