On his 36th birthday
Yesterday in China
Chou En-lai was buried, while in San Francisco
George Moscone became mayor.Today, lazy warm rain
falls through the eucalyptus trees,
and billowing clouds
explode in the sky above the Bay.I walk down Telegraph Avenue,
my umbrella unfurled, like a rubberized
medieval knight, mistakenly armored
against a friendly element.Having learned nothing
in 36 years, my great pleasures
impel me along: poetry, boys,
Renaissance polyphonic masses,
unemployment insurance, and
a new lover.There are deserts of vast Eternity
before me and behind,
and what I care for most
is the long train of pale light
which follows the setting sun
on the coast of California.