II
No one is moving away from the free food table any time soon
There are few seats and the cement ledges aren’t comfortable
I flirt with a woman who is concerned about her curly hair
I tell her she looks beautiful – she smiles – she doesn’t hear that enough
We decide to cross Jefferson Street and go into the temple to get a good seat
We decide to cross Jefferson Street and go into the temple to get out of the sun
We are stopped by a chubby young cop who explains there has been a bomb threat
He postures like John Wayne and tries to wrest the most out of his badge and uniform
No one is buying- but everyone is listening – he relishes the audience – he is so LA
You gotta go around he says You gotta enter on Pico – this is where the event is.
(By event he means this is where the caller said the bomb was hidden)
Brave and crazy – the mass of humanity moves toward Pico – impervious to the threat
We are AMERICANS and these are our kids and you won’t ruin their special day
Did no one learn anything from Boston?
Did we forget in one short month what was at stake?
We move as one under the California sun – the police woman politely lifting the caution tape
We have to get into the temple before all of the good seats are taken
I wear a flimsy black bag on my shoulder – no one checks it
NO ONE CHECKS IT
I hold my coveted ticket out for scrutiny – no one checks it
NO ONE CHECKS IT
They simply herd us into the storied theater with the magnificent chandelier
We settle in and prepare for the speeches and the processions
Somewhere – someone is waiting for CNN coverage – hoping for attention
Somewhere – someone is wringing his hands – staring at the phone on the kitchen table
We walk and we sit politely together because we are AMERICANS and these are our kids
