Hollywood

I remember the old Hollywood
when Pinks was still sort of new
when Gardner Street Elementary
seemed a lot bigger,
when the flat we lived in
was not part of a Ralph’s  parking lot,
when having a hamburger, french fries,
and a chocolate shake at Schwabs
was a big fucking deal,
when B actors could be seen eating lunch
at the hole-in-the-wall diners, still showing
a little dignity while they ate up their last dime,
when 77 Sunset Strip was a real place,
not just a driveway on TV
when Johnny Rivers opened at the
Sunset Strip Whisky before it became
the Whiskey a Go Go,
where the Doors played “The End”
and got fired,
when the Sci Fi matinee at the Orient
costed only 25 cents,
when my dad took me to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
on those lazy L.A. sunday afternoons

I remember a lot about Hollywood
that doesn't exist anymore...
To tell the truth,
you just had to be there…