All I know about life I learned at BHS

all that I know about life
and how to deal with people
I learned while attending BHS
in Berkeley, California
back in the distant 70’s
so many memories
so many different people
from all over the world
in what was the most multicultural high school
in the country back then
4,000 students
from everywhere in the world
yet we were all together
and learned to get along
I ran for student body president
and won the election
no one thought I would win
For I was a classic nerd
but somehow I won the election
and somehow managed
to keep our little student council
working together
in the midst of terrible times
all around us
the ending of the Vietnam war
Watergate and other corruption news
the 1974 election
student activism
in the first high school
to offer African American studies
the class that had launched
the black panther party
Jimmy Hendrix’s last high school
I took Latin one of the few public schools
that still offered Latin
and was on the debate team
but always taking a far right wing theme
as complete mockery
decades before Stephen Colbert
perfected it
yes everything I learned
in life
began at Berkeley High School
Berkeley California
Growing up in the 60’s
In Berkeley
almost 50 years ago
I think back
At those turbulent times
Those crazy wonderful times
Berkeley is a wonderful place
In many ways
Stuck forever in 1967
A true time travel experience
Every time I go back
And relive the memories
Of the 60’s
The 60’s never died
They continue
In college towns
Across the world
And Berkeley
Remains the mecca
Of the counter
cultural revolution
Many things have changed
But the organic food revolution
Became mainstream
Marijuana spread out
The sexual revolution
Became mainstream
So much of the world
Is but a reflection
Of the revolution of the 60’s
And the conservative
counter-revolution
That we are still fighting
So, I salute
My homeland
The center of my universe
My Name, My Name is John (Jake) Cosmos Aller From Berkeley
born in Berkeley 64 years ago
64 trips around the sun
My middle name
has nothing to do
with my being born
in Berkeley
although no one believes me
for it is such a Berkeley Cosmic sort of name
and suits me now
as the name of my on line blog
the world according to Cosmos
My great grandfather Daniel Aller
wanted an English translation of the family name
Aller
also spelled Eller, Oller, Alhaird
the family came from Hamburg
Aller river valley
and a town called Aller
founded by Huguenots
from France
Daniel found two choices
Cosmos and Universe
and chose Cosmos
as Universe well
that would have been a very Berkeley name
and not something that would work
in Republican conservative Yakima
so I was born John
never liked John
too many Johns in the world
so I adopted the name Jake
from a wild assed dream I had
in high school had a wild dream
shouting out whoa jake
jump back jack
turn around verdiack
slide aside Clyde
while riding a horse
and that became my catch phrase
called the Whoa Jake kid
and eventually just Jake
a few years ago
I became Cosmos
when I started publishing
my poetry
and so now
I am just
Cosmos
the barge
A barge
on lake Anza
in Tilden Park
Berkeley, California
beckoning me
imploring me
to dive off
into the cool water
of life
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