California Missionary,
crossed the border of my heart
atop the wings of the sunkissed quail
treading tires and
skidding across proud brown bear’s abdomen

California missionary,
sped fast ‘cross Pacific Highway
spreading to us the whispers
of spirits
and the cackling sun gods

California Missionary
abandoned ceramic pots and
Christmas-tree needles
unshaven and never watered
from her shivered trunk bed and

California Missionary
taught the pages of Abraham,
squinting through sunlight and
dreaming of typewriters that
ceased to exist in the broken
Golden State

California Missionary
arrived with garlic and crystal-clear mirrors
steering her mustang clear of
cats with dark complexion
top down, in the state of
tinted sunshine and

California Missionary
left the mountains of bigotry
to tell lies of ancient scripture
that she loathed
so that she could
live
again and

California Missionary
stole the ring on her finger
that promised devotion
from a man of Christ himself
so that
California Missionary
could begin to understand
herself