An ocean turquoise chameleon twinkling at me intimately
I woke up smiling from a lightmare
my mind gave me that beauty
I’m healing
Governor Newsom arranged to have Fema help hotels become shelter for the homeless
Sat down with tears of relief
Put on my pink bandana. Mayor Garcetti told us all to wear masks today.
Washed my car after two weeks of letting it gather dust adhering to shelter at home directions
Drove to Pasadena to gather mail
First stop, the Rosebowl Loop.
Found signs saying Rosebowl
Loop
Closed
and policemen posted around the loop
and yellow tape hung for a mile
in front of parking dirt
drove through the hills on Chevy Chase
lush and green, found The Derby House
stopped by the textile brick
unmistakably Frank Lloyd Wright
Parked and soaked in the marvel
Spied three lizards luxuriating
on the lace
Drove along to the end
a playground, each ride wrapped
in yellow tape, Atwater
Heading back, passed
a vintage Iranian taxi
in bright, mint condition
so dazzling and cute
I drove around the block
to park behind it and
wallow in it
I walked around it glowing
as cars drove by, then got back in
Before I turned it on, the young
man who owned it appeared
I hopped out, “Is it yours?!”
He beamed and nodded.
“I brought it from Iran. It’s 50
years old. It’s from the time of
the Shah. They were all over Tehran.”
Orange egg yoke yellow body, white hood
Orange egg yoke yellow square plastic
sign over the driver’s door saying
Taxi in black
dreamy
I forgot to pull up my bandana
I forgot to stay six feet away from him
When I remembered I only moved three feet away
and said good bye gushing
He beamed
Back in my car
I was embarrassed
Anyone driving by would assume that I was willfully ignoring the seriousness of our community’s condition
Or maybe they saw the love