Many of Jane's wonderful poems can be found in the Cartoon Cocoons book. However, Kali California I recently found in the most recent of Jane's sketchbooks, written probably in 2020-2021. It was in rough form, but I managed to decipher it, and found it beautiful and so relevant.
The second poem again I found stashed in other papers, as if it was let there for me to discover now, 3 years after her passing....
Kali California
Pluto and Kali were taking a spin
Through the wilds of California, and the Halls of Gin,
From West to East, they'd seldom done better
At dry being drought and cold being wetter
With dogs in the shelters and folks on the street
Trouble and nasty all piled in a heap.
Still there were sweet spots, strong as stone
Where friends told each other, you're not alone.
In dealing with chaos, confusion and dread
Living our lives, while still feeling instead.
We come to the shadow cast by the stone,
The damn telemarketer, invading the phone
The ads on Facebook, gilding the throne
Of the Bombast, the Cheater, the Man of the Lie,
Who we'd rather not have
Possessing the sky.
Cause we love the blue sky nesting the Earth
We cherish the freedom of irreverent mirth
Our cousins, all creatures and plants of blue Gaia
We need each other more than one more messiah.
So take heed and take heart
In the hours to come,
When building on gratitude
We all have a part
To say and do, and learn as we go
Silence is golden when grown in the heart.
There's gifts to deliver and stories to tell
Of how Kali and Pluto saved us from hell.
Can you bring it to me gently
Can you take me home slow
I've been out in the desert
Where time doesn't show.
I've seen the jeweled cities
Articulate the plain
I've paddled through the night
Beside the silent train
The crow circles over
The juniper is still
The cliff catches sunset
Above the shadowed hill
Can you stand by me rooted
And I know you are not mine
Scent the waft of wings in
the tide of y/our design
Can I ask you to leave me
Alone where I have been
To marvel, cup hello again
Between end, and begin
To breathe the curtained breeze
Who brushed the window sill
To offer the moonwind
Our songs of love until
The crow circles over
The juniper is still
The cliff catches sunset
What's given is fulfilled.
All Right, You