I Like To Write Like Gary Soto Poem by RIC BASTASA

well, today, i like to write like
gary soto and his cotton lines
the man next door with a hoe
and ticket and dream of food
and little children on his lap
in his home after hours of
work under some masters

i like to write like gary soto
on his hitchhike to san francisco
with the migratory birds and
the waters from the danals
dragging him to a richer town

but it is so sad, i can't be gary
or any other sordid soto,
i guess i may not be so dumb
but i am not that smart either.

so i will just be me trying this
kind of experimental poetry.