There was a Time

(a poem of sorts)

There was a time when I wanted to be famous.
Then. I had a hit single in Japan
went there to tour
and walking down some street in Tokyo
I was recognized
(he asked for my autograph.)
I was famous for a minute. I knew a few famous people for a minute.
It was cool. But.
Something felt weird.
I didn’t know how to be myself.
I tried. And…
I just didn’t know how to dress the part or talk to executives.
I wanted to be famous!
but
I ached
to get home
to the mountain I was living on
where I grew a big garden.

On the mountain
we weren’t on city water lines
we had no trash service
we had mountain lion tracks in our dirt driveway.
I liked all that.
I was always more that.

I understood:
hawks, road runners, trees.
sky, sage, rock.
dirty jeans.
no shoes.
I saw the curve of the earth from way up there.
(no words can describe.)

Anyway. Fast forward to now.
30 years gone by.
Using my hands to
get the garden growing
watching
those tiny birds
in the lemon tree.