San Joaquin Valley Sunset

So often food, love, life
Whatever
By me devoured but not savored
Like going to all-you-can-eat buffet
The nothing is tasted, just consumed
And always left with a desire for
More

But today for one happy moment
Different
At the stop light
I saw the sunset
Of a warm Bakersfield winter day
The sun swallowed by
The mountains the Spanish called Temblors
Gray horse-hair clouds
Filtered just one band of golden light
and trapped it between
the gray clouds and now gray mountains

Red turned to green
The car ahead of me shuddered to life
My foot madly crushed the gas pedal
In my head there was a metallic roaring
Was it me or just the sound
Of my truck's engine?

Capitano Tedeschi

30

San Joaquin Valley Sunset copyright Jan. 17 2010 by Jamie Jacks