"Loving California Living"
Let me introduce you to California and my hometown, Santa Monica. Santa Monica is an amazing city on the beach here in California. There are many beach cities in California but if you ask anyone living here in Southern California about Santa Monica, they will say that it is a diverse city indeed.
In Santa Monica you can find just about every culture. A huge variety of restaurants sharing dishes from many different cultures and countries. You will also find cafe shops where, in the evening, you can here people performing "spoken word" over ambient music in the background. Spoken word is like poetry but with music. It is a form of poetry that gathers deep in the soul and has personal feelings attached to it.
Now, on the beach side of Santa Monica, you will find so many things to do and see. There are some amazing places to eat on and off the pier. On the pier in Santa Monica, there is also games to play and a mini carnival that is always operational. You will find street performers and artist on the pier and down the boardwalk going towards Muscle Beach and Venice Beach.
You will also find lots of things to buy along the Santa Monica boardwalk. There are a diverse and creative group of vendors as you walk along the boardwalk. This first poem is about waking up on the beach in my hometown of Santa Monica. So let me introduce my first poem entitled “My Hometown Santa Monica” Enjoy!!!
The sun begins to rise along the majestic coastal shore,
As the sound of waves roll in from the distant sea.
The clouds lay low overhead bringing fire to the sky,
Bringing color to the backdrop of a swaying palm tree.
Soft steps you take on the endless sandy shore,
As you walk out into the beginning of a beautiful new day.
A cool wind blows your hair to the east where life begins,
And the sound of ships arrive into the magnificent bay.
An ocean walk begins as you journey just left of the beach,
Where vendors begin loading up their beach side gear.
The smell of ocean food rises to drift right passed your nose,
And your thoughts of a seafood meal breakfast is oh so near.
As the builders of body begin to flow into Muscle Beach,
The sound of working muscles begin to fill the days air.
Still along the Venice Beach boardwalk, the doors begin to open,
And the colors of collectible product begin to show in the booths so fair.
The pier begins to open as the carousel begins to turn,
As the music begins to blare out on the speakers so loud.
The Roller Coaster begins sitting all the patrons for the next ride,
As the restaurants here begin to feed the happy, hungry crowd.
The fishermen bait their poles in hopes for the catch of the day,
As they set up their camps at the end referred to as fisherman pier.
While the clouds begin to disperse and the day gets brighter and brighter,
The water begins to stir and the sky so blue and endless begins to clear.
The surfers in their colorful wet suits begin to wax their boards,
Then into the water they go to ride the wave to the shore.
This is where I am from. My Hometown, the City of Santa Monica,
Where you are always Welcome through my beautiful seaside door.
I hope you enjoyed my short tour into Santa Monica, my hometown. But California has so many things to see and love about it. From the beaches to Melrose Blvd. To Sunset Blvd and so on. Melrose Blvd. Is where you can find so many things from the inexpensive to the very expensive depending on which side of Melrose you are on.
There is also Hollywood. Hollywood is divided into several sections or streets that are very popular. From Groman’s Chinese Theater to all of the hip hop clubs on Hollywood Blvd. Where all the stars are on the street for you to view. Hand prints and signatures of Hollywood stars. On Sunset Blvd. You can find the “rockers or headbangers”. A very interesting group of people for sure. Some just dressed in casual rock attire to the bizarre ones who paint their faces and dress in very dark clothing. There are many clubs to see like “the Rainbow” or “the Roxy” or “the Troubadour” or “the Viper Room” and so many more.
At the beaches you will always find the surfers both on the water and through the skate parks. It doesn’t matter if your cutting up the ocean waters or grinding up the concrete slabs. We are all considered surfers to us but we are better known to the general public as “surfers and skaters or skateboarders”. Santa Monica actually has an amazing skate park for the skateboarders. Something to see if you are ever there.
California it also home to some amazing amusement parks. The most popular I guess would be “Disneyland”. But my favorite one to go to is “Knott’s Berry Farm”. But we also have “Magic Mountain”, Legoland, Universal Studios, Sea World and a few smaller ones as well.
Time to introduce my next poem about growing up in California. From the beach to Hollywood to the amazing amusement parks we have here. This poem is entitled “California Living”. Enjoy!!!
Welcome to California. Let me introduce you properly,
To the home of forever sunny bright days.
Where the beaches are always full of excitement and color,
And the people gather in groups to sunbath in the rays.
Where amusement parks flourish, filled with entertainment,
And Mickey Mouse and Snoopy dance around the parks.
Where roller coasters take you on a twisted crazy ride,
And the sky lights up at night with dazzling fireworks.
Where piers can stretch forever atop the ocean water,
And the smell of wondrous seafood fills the air.
Where surfers swim out far to catch the mighty waves,
And the skateboarders surf the concrete jungles lair.
Where Melrose Blvd. Can bring the strangest shopping spree,
And Hollywood Blvd. Brings hip hop and bright lights.
Where Sunset Blvd. Brings the headbangers out into the streets,
But also brings the freaks to roam through the night.
Where Hollywood brings stardom if you catch a lucky break,
And you are thrown into a famous show or flick.
Where you can join a drum circle with fire along the beach,
Or catch a magic show to see some famous tricks.
I’m California born and breed and I’ve seen it all at least once,
A Cali-kid from Santa Monica Beach just living in the sun.
So come on out and join the crowd and feel the California dream,
And you will be where the palm trees sway and have a lot of fun.
But there is so much more to California than the beaches and Hollywood. There are so many museums and parks, resorts and botanical gardens, lakes and rivers, mountains and deserts and national forests. Here in California we pretty much have about everything you could do all in one state. So many trees, flowers and natural wildlife to see (which are my favorite things to see) even places to camp whether your in the mountains or even at the beaches.
“Big Sur National Forest” is a forest on the coast of California, so you get the best of two worlds, the beach and the forest. “The Los Angeles Arboretum botanical gardens”. “The Huntington Library” where they have both the botanical gardens and three museums to see. San Diego has museums and historical buildings dating back to the old west days. Further up north you have cities like San Francisco, where there are amazing places to eat and historical buildings and bridges. San Jose, home to Silicone Valley technology. “Lake Tahoe” which sits halfway on California territory and halfway on Nevada territory.
Where I live, we have “Angeles National Forest” where I go hiking. I usually hike in a place known as “Chantry Flats” or “Santa Anita Canyon”. We have ghost towns and haunted buildings and graveyards. California is an amazing place to live and grow up.
So as you can see, I have been many places and done many things. I still intend to do all of the things again, but with my fiance, wife to be, Vanja, our children, Angeles and David and all of our family.
I hope all of you enjoyed a little insight into my hometown and state. I hope all of you enjoy the poetry because I enjoy every single one of you stopping by to say hello and leaving beautiful, amazing comments. May all of you have a blessed life always. May all of your family always be blessed as well. We will talk again real soon, I promise. Take care of your self and take care of each other. This last poem is entitled “California Love”. I hope all of you enjoy it. Love, Jeronimo Rubio
Cool breeze blows across my skin,
The sun warming me all inside.
Skies so blue as I dream away,
Of jumping into the California ocean tide.
Waves of power they rush me away,
And the curls bring me calmly back in.
I lay back to the see the clouds way up high,
And dream of being back there again.
But for now dreams are all I keep with me,
And good memories of times from the past.
And I'll dream every night and remember.
Until I am back in California once again.
Big Sur is a forest sitting on the ocean,
With wildlife to wake you each day.
Hiking and camping up and down the mountain,
Through the trees to sit calmly on the bay.
Sequoia bares grand trees of great power,
That reach all the way to clouds in the sky.
And lakes of cool water there will cool you,
with beauty everywhere to see with open eyes.
Santa Monica is where I've always called home,
The place where I took my first breathe.
A place in my heart remembered so close and dear,
And regret each and every day that I left.
But I know I will be there again real soon,
And will never wander away again for very long.
Because each time I am away from my California,
I will never really feel that I am right at home.
So bring me back to Cali real soon please.
Plant my roots so my spirit can grow stronger.
Hold me close so I remain strong in my history,
And I will never again for long go and wander.
California love is what I feel these days,
For California is where my spirit will always be.
I'll be home soon for she is calling me back there,
And in the end it is where my spirit will pass into peace.
