I have never been to Los Angeles, but it has always been a city I felt I knew through art, literature, music and cinema. This poem by Dana Gioia is one of the most magnificent poetic visions of the City of Angels I’ve ever read. If you’ve never read it, maybe now is the time. Read the full poem at Rattle. Here is a review of Gioia’s Meet Me at the Lighthouse I wrote for Italian Americana.

May the fires stop their burning!