I have a friend studying and scouring literature like it's her job. Actually, it is her job, and in the meantime I reap the benefits of her hard work when it comes to gems such as "Things to Do Around San Francisco," a poem written by Gary Snyder in 1966. Thank you Ali. And Mr. Snyder.

Things to Do Around San Francisco

Catch eels in the rocks below the Palace of the Legion of

              Honor.

Four in the morning—congee at Sam Wo.

Walk up and down Market, upstairs playing pool,

Turn on at Aquatic park—seagulls steal   bait-sardine

Going clear out to Oh's to buy bulghour.

Howard street goodwill— 

Not paying traffic tickets; stopping the phone.

Merry-go-round at the beach, the walk  up  to  the  cliff-house,

              sea lions and tourists—the old washed-out road

              that goes on—

Play chess at Mechanics'

Dress up and go looking for work.

Seek out the Wu-t'ung trees, park arboretum.

Suck in the sea air and hold it;

              miles of white walls

              sunset shoots back from somebody's window

              high in the Piedmont hills

Get drunk all the time. Go someplace and score. 

Walk in and walk out of the Asp

Walk up Tam

Keep quitting and starting at Berkeley

Watch the Pike in the Steiner Aquarium:

                            he doesn't move.

Sleeping with strangers

Keeping up on the news

Chanting sutras after sitting

Practising yr frailing on guitar;

Get dropped off    in the fog   in the night

Fall in love twenty times

Get divorced

Keep moving—move out to the Sunset—

Get lost                           or

Get found

Photo by Nikki Radov