Larry Jaffe
1999

five and dime store dreams

i grew up with woolworths
and kresges
five & dime stores
cause everything
was supposed to be
on the cheap
growing up
i did not understand
where the buffalo roam
we just sang songs about it
we were woody guthrie
without his guitar
traveling through music
to find our highways
we were taught
to cover our heads
in bomb scare drills
way before terrorism was born
we fought the commie treasure
fear of being nuked
fallout shelters the rage
and then we raged
through 60’s hoopla
warring factions of peace
but my heart resided
in that 5 & dime
where peace was affordable

Larry Jaffe


Bombs away over L. A.

We huddled around
Our respective coffees
Café au le
Cappuccino
Café late’
Designer fate out of our hands
Our eyes sublime
Drinking in the
Redundant Los Angeles sunshine
The news reflected from the paper
Was anything but good
The President of these United States
Was being called to task
By An International
Human
Rights
Tribunal
The mayor of Los Angeles
Was being called to task
By An International
Human
Rights
Tribunal
Undocumented sources
Reliable witnesses
Paid informants
Served notice on
Respective majesties
Reported crimes
In Technicolor
Hollywood noir
To United Nations
To Amnesties International
To The World Press
To Rupert Murdock
To Mickey Mouse himself
They were reliable
Dependable
Trustworthy
Almost desirable
Eyewitnesses to
Witting ruthlessness
As performed by the laidback Gestapo
Of the LAPD
On a consistent basis
Of hapless minorities
That had grown majority
And only blue suits kept their vision abated
Only blue suits kept the populace subdued
Rounding up their dreams
And prosecuting their nightmares
To the fullest extent of the law
Building citadel prisons
With dungeon precision
To incarcerate
To alienate
To eliminate
The so-called criminal element
In cries of three strikes you’re out
Keeping their visions under lock and key
Imprisoned in the fortress of ineptitude
Solitary confinement for imagination
But the world was no longer
Looking the other way
Their faces turned to L.A.
Telling the mayor to toe the mark
Telling the president to not cross the line
But they pledged sovereignty
Not idle chatter
The United States of America
Was given deadline to cease and desist
The laurel wreathes of peace extended for the moment
But President and Mayor joining hands in sovereign promise
Refused with utter contempt to change ways
Homegrown and rooted in tradition
The United Nations under the direction of the Security Council
Canceling vetoes of its members
Declared Los Angeles fair game
To peace keeping Bombers
Tinsel town under attack
Shouted headlines in black and sharp white
Parker Center was ground zero
Bombs away over L.A.
Tell me it ain’t so Mickey
Tell me it ain’t so Donald
Goofy
Pluto
Popeye
Where are you when we need you
It’s all illusion anyway
It’s just another movie
Another cartoon comedy
Another siren goes off
Its air raid not cops
Bombs rain down on L.A.
The last headline spoke
Out of the blue
And the haze of Los Angeles sunshine
We are a sovereign nation
The President said
This is L.A. the Mayor said
City Hall destroyed the headline read
We are selecting only military targets
The combined forces reported
Paramount studios is forever in reruns
Sony is only a digital memory
The lion is gone from MGM
Universal is just another ride in their theme park
Disney is Mickey Mouse
Tinsel town detinselized…
The center of evil has been destroyed the BBC shouted!
The center of evil destroyed the BBC shouted!

Larry Jaffe



1998

honey roasted holocaust

i watched the holocaust 
of your soul as it
ripped through your
heart like dark
rainbows piercing
where it had no right to go
i watched this mass genocide
of your soul
cracking you open like 
yesterday's news
analyzed 
philosophized
justified
as to why it was okay
i watched the mass murder
of your soul
as it rang through the dark
while everyone slept 
through its gaze
and woke up to a nightmare
i watched the enslavement
of your soul
as they shepherded us in 
harmless bundles to someone
who was not our maker
i watched them enslave
your soul with promises
of a better life
even though you could
never lift your head up high
i watched you as tears
cascaded your face 
in new inventions of pain
i watched you as you refused
to leave the shower 
because it reminded you
of those tears
i watched you as 
you pulled yourself together
and decided to win 
no matter how formidable
the opposition
i watched you as
you created love
with your fingertips
and smiles with your expressions
i watched you
live your life
with battle scars 
unattended

Click BACK on your browser to return to the main page.