I Saw Death on the Third Street Promenade

wearing a creamcolor suit and

muttering at his blackberry and

eating a five-buck dollop of chocolate

with shades on to keep from meeting

the homeless veterans’ eyes

once I saw him once

I started recognizing him everywhere I went

I saw Death at the ATM

Death goes to the same bank I do

saw him exchanging jokes

with the rich ex-SAVAK agents

at the Coffee Bean in Little Tehran

and I thought about that

coffeehouse waitron somewhere who

drank eleven expressos

I saw Death in Sam’s bookstore

leafing through Gibbon

Death licks his finger to turn the page

then doesn’t buy the book

the bastard

I should read Gibbon

I saw Death at the end of Ocean Park

ogling the coeds in their one-pieces

well ogling everybody

including me

that’s what bad taste Death has