You are so beautiful, California, to me

If I could sing, California

If I could sing
if I had his marinated voice
his command
California
I would caress you
tone by sanded tone
word by weeping word
you are so beautiful
California
to me
you are so beautiful
mountain towns
artichoke fields
coastal cities
to me
dirt roads
shaded streets
rumbling highways
California
to me
can’t you see
blazing landscapes
you’re everything I wanted
amid the wreckage
you’re everything I need
holding hope
sifting rubble
breathing ash
you are so beautiful
California
if I could sing
if I had his growl
you are so beautiful
my home
to me 

Laura McHale Holland
November 14, 2018
For California and Joe Cocker