Under Hollywood Pier

I am a vagrant
looking for a home
with the sun in my eye
and tadpoles in a jar,
I am a hoper
in a wishing well.

I am a mother
with open arms
counting cigarettes
like children.
I am a twenty foot smile
on a prison wall.

I see the beacon
for people lost at sea
which leads to calm
and serenity.
I am a ship
in a bottle of milk.

I am a flower
burning like fire,
collecting disasters to inspire.

I am the hiding place
under beds
lighting up prayers
from tragic writers.
I am a dream
behind sunglasses.

I am tomorrow
determined to grow
a place in time
to call my own.
I am the future
in a video game.

I hear the songs
in picture albums
of time long ago
when wishes were granted.
I am the music
being played underground.

I know the Angel
under Hollywood pier,
catch your dream to see her...

@Steven Francis poems 1995