barely afternoon black sky arms and legs scent creaking against broad ridden dirt perfectly safe blue had spent a life repairing mangled bones crushed maxillas collapsed cheekbones torn lips hamburger meat bits of cement and asphalt embedded skin rumbling idle of steam age combined weight on one foot accelerated clacked into turns leaned all she had into easy body part when the rain started in the small park people slept in cardboard boxes up one century and up the other entered her and was somewhere groove of skull tucked under vague alarm pulsed carnal but yes muscle crazy foot lodge against fogged specs is this sex or where did I meet you with raindrops actually slid down muddy hill strewn with garbage wads of toilet paper used condoms syringes scrambled teeth out against the forehead of her palms digging into grass smeared across her bare glass is it sex or oh god oh shit rubbing hands on jeans and looking slick with oil and fishtail shout slow down no go on go on

* Hill Park is the oldest official park in San Francisco, established in 1867 as Hill Park and renamed Buena Vista in 1894. It is bounded by Haight Street to the north, and by Buena Vista Avenue West and Buena Vista Avenue East. The paths along the west side are lined with gutters built by WPA workers out of broken headstones from the City’s Victorian cemeteries at Lone Mountain (i.e. Laurel Heights), which were moved to Colma in 1930s. In a few cases the inscriptions were placed facing up and can be discerned.

L. J. Moore lives in San Francisco in a basement by the beach. Her interests range from martial arts to creating a walking-map of lost ships buried under the streets of San Francisco. L.J.’s poetry, essays and photography have appeared in Spectrum, Midnight Zoo, Danse Macabre, Coracle, 14 Hills, Limestone, Kalliope, Transfer, Goetry, and Sidebrow. Her first book, F-Stein, is available from Subito Press.

Art: “The Infancy of Metal” by Nickolas Mohanna. Nickolas lives and works in various places in America. His work is interdisciplinary–ranging from drawing, video, sculpture and sound. He has exhibited throughout San Francisco,sometimes collaborating with musicians and artists. He’s obsessed with adding lemons to water.