Santa Monica (I Haven't Forgotten You)

I remember when I stared into your eyes
From the passenger seat our hearts met
With only a window and 7 feet in between
And as I headed off to my glitzy restaurant
Full of fancy appetizers and cleverly named drinks
All night
I thought of you

It was only a second
A second of the inescapable eternal
Life to the late-in-show news story
That rarely gets told
And when it does, it gets old
Except it is still abstractly fresh in my mind

Sometimes it is an image of thanks
When I come inside from the cold
See my cat stretch on the armrest of the couch
Welcoming me home to blankets and doors
And more windows that will keep me warm and
Divided from the outside
Your home

Sometimes it is an image of guilt
When I don’t feed you when you ask
When I walk out of my way to avoid you
When I don’t say my prayers at night
When I remember that forty years ago
As a teenager you fought for me

Sometimes it is an image of compassion
When I see the dozens working the shelters
And I see smiles and gratitude of thanksgiving
On Thanksgiving or Christmas
But those are only two days of the year
But there are those who work the other 363
The days most others have forgotten

And sometimes it is an image of God
When I give you a five dollar bill
And you say “Thank you”
Or
“God Bless You”
Because I never know where You are
Except that you are everywhere
Especially in Santa Monica