Doug Draime

Ginger Baker

she said that life
was a burning fuse
and she knew she’d
lose, and I couldn’t help her
anyway.
she said this over
the pounding drums
of Ginger Baker
after we
dropped a lot
of acid
maybe 6 tabs
of windowpane
watching the orange sun set over downtown
Los Angeles
from the roof
of my house in
Echo Park,
and the Dodgers were beating
the Giants
just over the hill in
Chavez Ravine, and I couldn’t hear what she said,
and i asked her
to repeat
it 4 times,
the 4th time
her tears came, and I
listened
closer.