West Coast

California
At once beautiful
And terrible in its beauty
My first reading
Was in a hole in the wall bar
It's different here
The audience talks back
Laughs
I was completely tanked
Before I took the stage
A homage to my idol I guess
I read for 15 minutes
Old poems for a new crowd
Applause
Small talk afterwards
More drinks, chatter
The 5 of us walked back
Toward the hotel
I was high on the rush
Of a new crowd
Wouldn't shut up
Drunk on trying to forget