stargazy pie

Oscar Wilde famously pronounced

"we are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars"

and some of us like stars so much

we'll kneel down in the gutter

and take rubbings of them

  much to the amusement of passersby

+++++++++

poetry is everywhere

some quite obviously placed

and some, you have to read between the lines

 after five glorious days in my favourite city

during which i have been offered extraordinary pleasures

sitting for a while on on a ceramics class for teachers of science

taught at the Exploratorium by Nikki Jackson

[for whose friendship and companionship i am deeply grateful]

where i was able to observe some of the alchemical processes

that lead to this

i say farewell

and board a south-bound train

headed for the City of Angels

for twelve hours

the caterpillar mumbles through the countryside

i arrive in Los Angeles and the dress gets an airing

after snuffling in the stuffiness of suitcase

light breezes here in the Hollywood Hills

should help to prevent it turning into a furred bear

[i don't want it going mouldy]

after a restful night in the arms of the angels

we venture out in search of dye material for tomorrow's class

which will be here in a charming complex of eclectic buildings

on Sunset Boulevard, once an outdoor shopping mall

at the Farmer's market

in between stalls of fragrant produce

there are more stars