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remember

.

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.

days . . .

–

–

–

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.

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when

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chased

–

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wave,

–

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–

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–

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~ I

chased

–

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wave,

–

–

after

wave,

–

–

after

wave . . .

–

–

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o

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–

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swirling

–

–

L.A.

haze . . .

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chased

–

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wave,

–

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wave,

–

–

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wave . . .

–

–

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f

–

–

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the

swirling

–

–

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haze . . .

–

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–

.

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.

a

n

d

–

–

–

came

back

again . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

came

–

–

back

again . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

came

–

–

back

again . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

came

–

–

back

again . . .

–

–

–

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play,

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play . . .

–

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–

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.

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page,

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page,

–

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after

page . . .

–

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a

n

d

–

–

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escape,

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–

after

escape,

–

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escape . . .

–

–

–

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A

face . . .

–

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gaze . . .

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name . . .

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face . . .

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gaze . . .

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a

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name . . .

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then

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–

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.

.

I

came

–

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back

again . . .

–

–

–

.

.

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I

came

–

–

back

again . .

–

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–

.

.

I

came

–

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back

again . . .

–

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–

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.

a

n

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again . . .

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.

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n

d

–

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again . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

chased

–

–

wave,

–

–

after

wave,

–

–

after

wave . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

chased

–

–

wave,

–

–

after

wave,

–

–

after

wave . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

chased

–

–

wave,

–

–

after

wave,

–

–

after

wave . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

the

swirling

–

–

L.A.

haze . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

~ I

chased

–

–

wave,

–

–

after

wave,

–

–

after

wave . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

the

swirling

–

–

L.A.

haze . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

came

back

again.

Reflection:

I wrote this poem about a recent visit to Los Angeles where the “vibe” I observed wasn’t anything close to what it was like on previous occasions – years ago. Several of my favorite places were no longer there – many of which were vacant. On the one hand, I was very thankful I got to experience as much of it as I did over the years and had a wonderful time doing it. On the other hand, I was disappointed that all of that vibrant energy seemed to fade and felt a bit sad for the people of today that would never experience it or know what all of that was like.

So, the primary message of this poem is to participate in (and make the most out of) experiences as they unfold in life before they pass. I’ve had several experiences like that in my life and am happy I took the time to experience them while they were new, vibrant, and exhilarating. And I encourage you to do the same because I would never trade those memories.