MINNESOTA
I was in San Francisco
Riding the Judah streetcar
Reading Dave Eggers
Eating a soy energy bar
I wore a 49ers cap
My shirt said U.C.
A woman leaned over
And she whispered to me-----
Are you from Minnesota?
What is it about me that says Midwest?
Do I have blond hair or a red plaid vest?
it's jazz that I am tuned in to
So leave me alone, I'm just as cool as you.
On the Embarcadero
Drinking espresso
Reading Jean-Paul Sartre
Do I get him? I guess so.
In my Spandex pants
About to go out biking
A woman leans over,
Says, "Too bad about your Vikings"----
I'm a former beatnik, bohemian and hippie
What is it about me that says upper Mississippi?
Is there cow manure on my loafers?
A sign on my back that says Golden Gophers?
COOL INST
I compost, ride a bike, I recycle bags,
Love the Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, Boz Scaggs.
I live on the corner of Hayes and Stanyan
Do I look like I listen to Prairie Home Companion?
Had a date with a girl
A Berkeley grad
Saw a Coen Brothers movie
Wasn't too bad
We talked about Dylan
We talked about Prince
And then she said, Hey
How about those Twins?
What is it about me that says where I was born?
Does my voice sound twangy---
Do I smell like corn?
Are my shoes out of fashion ----
Is my affect flat?
It's true I'm not from here
But how do you know that?
Was it something I said?
Was it something I wrote?
Is it that I like meatloaf?
Is it how I say "boat"?
And I let you go ahead of me
While waiting at a counter?
Is that's how you knew I am an out of towner.