'DOWN AND UP'

I've been 'down and out'
'moneyed and down,' sort of
'down and weird'
and 'weirdly up'

Today, I was 'down and up'
which is in some ways worse
than 'up and up'
except that's oft dishonest
pretentious or corrupt

I walked past a white statue Buddha
surrounded by daffodils
(the same one a few times)
but I did that all before
with living monks in rural Thailand,
where I was also "down and up"

I spent some time in Sweden, Harnosand
I tell ya a mad wondrous land
where there were bright green hills
and libraries, and cold winds
That was "down and up"
when it wasn't up and out
or down and out

Let me tell you about
the abandoned rail-road tracks
where I walk downtown and back,
and was making my way through
dark blackberry forests
passing hobos, dogs and yuppies:

Passing by houses and yards
of various sorts
which are interesting
except I try to never look too long
in case someone's looking out their window
or lounging in their yard,
as I don't want to have a moment
of fear, communion or understanding
or anything

Because I'm seeking something
and dodgin the dragons of smashed glass
that strew the rails
which are like Buddhas
with their own muse and tales,
stained with gasoline and Kerouacian journeys...

But to me that's all like white buddhas
or birds of strange melodic song
mushrooms or LSD
or books about evolution or space

all very cool if they're new
or especially true for you:

Me, I'm just walking
on the rail-road tracks
getting home without getting hurt

having ideas
writing a poem
down and up