San Francisco

San Francisco
how did I end up here
they all ask
45 answers
depending on the questioner:

the Internet

the gay Jerusalem

the California Bar

the BART

Because I had
24 addresses
in 9 years

Because my college friend had
a fraternity brother
with a sublet
a bicycle
and a lemon tree

Because every outcast
ends up here
in the city of Rejection

Because it was time
to stop
and learn how to live

Because it was on
another coast
in another country

Because I wouldn’t have
to explain feminism
to anyone

Because I never had
to put on a winter coat

Because avacados were only
69¢

Because the view
over the bridge
made me gasp

Because this is
where you go
to begin your life again.