A tangle of wooden stairs
Criss cross the patios
On a humid late afternoon.
Bottlebrush and butterflies
Flutter in the stifling breeze.
Plump ripe limes droop
In cracked terracotta pots
And tireless bees cavort
Among the jasmine shrubs.
The breasts of the maiden
Temporarily lose their nipples
Till Sutro Tower pokes through the fog.
The screech of cop cars on Mission
Cannot compete with
The joyful laughter of
Mexican and Chinese children
Let loose from Saint James school
On Fair Oaks Street.
Tony Quarrington 