Why I Don’t Live in California
A watershed threnody
I grew from zygote in the dry brown hills
Of California where all green can claim
It’s parentage as engineering skill.
From far across the desert miles there came
The Colorado Aqueduct, which floats
From Arizona’s Parker Dam where first
I learned to water ski. My grandpa’s boat
Was wet with water draining for a thirst
From far away. For ill-placed farms and lawns
So green in which I played with itchy arms
And backs of knees. My boyhood fun was drawn
Across a haughty span with no alarms.
But I’ve grown up, those ancestors have died,
And I decry the lie of rivers dried.
You can listen to me read it here
https://on.soundcloud.com/LVjvV
Today, if you hear his voice 