BEAUTIFUL

It is so beautiful, so beautiful, to be alive

In this taco shop just off the 5

That smells like garlic, fish and fresh tortillas,

Oh if our friends from Minnesota could see us

In our shorts and T-shirt with a giant bean burrito

That makes me feel allegro con spirito,

And what is that beautiful voice that calls us?

It is a vast array of various salsas,

Mild green and spicy red and a hot orange to choose between

And I, after due deliberation, choose the green.

For I have known the occasional digestive crisis

Caused by unfamiliar spices.

I sit outside on the patio,

Stunned by the absence of ice and snow,

The sun is out, the patio is crowded.

It is paradise no doubt about it.

And I listen to young people nearby, their consternation

About a bad roommate situation,

A grumpy guy whose negative energy is a downer,

And no wonder , he is an out-of-towner.

I want to say, Kids, you want downers, someday try to bear a night

When it's minus twenty Fahrenheit.

All around palm trees, green, and next door Yoga and Pilates

And tan people coming out with slender bodies.

And all so wrapped up in meditative thoughts,

There's a policeman to help people back out of their parking spots.

It's warm but not hot. Just the right amount of heat.

Three teenage boys cross the street,

Hooded sweatshirts, long hair, long surfboards,

And two girls in bikini tops, running shoes, and shorts,

Muscular, strong, wearing shades,

One ponytail and one with her hair in French braids.

I want to say, "Girls, I'm from St. Paul,

I'm not staring at you, I am just thrilled, that's all."

On Coronado Beach I walk around in a daze seeing people outdoors at leisure,

I who have just come from a walk-in freezer.

Amazing to wear shorts and T-shirt and not be cold.

The sun hits the sand to make it look like specks of gold.

Kids jumping waves, the waves are loud,

The surfers coming in, the tide is going out.

Salt air, moist, walking through sand, and the surf sound

Eliminates all other thoughts except a profound

Pleasure in being in the here and now,

You put aside all your troubles somehow,

Even forget exactly where you are

And where you might have parked your car,

And if you find it, where you should go.

Forget that you are in town to do a show

In some sort of theater.

It's all just a blur.

Don't worry about it. Don't get your undies in a twist.

Just walk out on stage and exist.

And as for the radio audience of Lutherans, Catholics, Presbyterians,

Let them share in the experience.

Two hours of blissful thinking. Watch this pose,

My forehead pressed gently against my toes.

It's called Padangusthasana

And I can do it anytime I wanna

On the radio, Don't you know.