And John Would Weep

 by Richard Hartwell 

No longer the laughing cantina whore
servicing Salinas and north to San Jose,
the Monterey Peninsula’s loss is acute;
gone are groves of oak, firs, and ferns,
as the soul of Steinbeck country has left.

Ravaging now are contesting diseases of
pimps and pros occupying millionaire’s
mansions, players on glitterati golf courses,
and lovers of works by arrogant artistes.

No longer are fish and agriculture the sole
core of the central coast and I sorely miss
the razed groves of oak, firs and ferns, and
the embrace of the laughing cantina whore;
as the soul of Steinbeck country is departed.