The Sea Inside (The Secret of the Sea Part IV, Chapter 4)

 

The Secret of the Sea

1.
The Visionary Approach

 The day that comprises this chapter
Appears to begin like most others,

With a circumscribed boat trip to maritime San Francisco

Yet today is more than an adventure,

It is a quest for an oceanic vision

Like a fish out of water

I have to cross a land bridge

Before I can grow fins 

and go back into the water again

Despite its vastness, at some point

The bay isn't large enough

To contain my soulfulness

I move out to the limits

A romantic table for one 

For my ritualistic picnic spot

Many have crossed it and many have sailed under it,

But not everyone has scurried underneath the bridge

A huge veritable bomber flew over several times, 

One of three bizarre displays of military might,

Two chinook helicopters cake-walked over the Wharf,

And macho fighter jets made a number of passes

The Marin Headlands

Metamorphic in the changing light,

In  the direction of the sea

The closing of the day 
The bridge steel almost wavers

Each soul like a lone ship,

Enters a mystery in the form of a journey

A longing that runs through all living things,

To return to a source in eternity

The sunset warps space

The earth and sea undulate

 and are part of me

Poignant dusk out where nobody goes but me,

The Golden Gate gives way to the sea

An oceanic planet with islands and continents,

Most places on earth are out of sight of land

2.

The Bridge at Night

At night it's a different world,

An atmosphere of violet-pink mists 

added to a state of irreality

In the center of the image,

The gold band of lights at the Port of Oakland

This is as far as I'll go

The first pylon

Pedestrians aren't permitted on

The wilderness side of the bridge

A proscribed period is reserved for bicycles,

But they can't stop, if they do

A control voice will hector them

A thrill leaning over the rail to image Fort Point,

A dynamic landmark in Noir San Francisco

Would you dive in after Kim Novak?

Headlights on the beach road 

Back to the imaginary city

Onto the Bay again, 

Coming in from the sunset sea

Sailing for home

23 January 2015

 Epilogue

Beyond the Sea

In  the realm of archetype

 I return to my home port

The Ferry pulls in as evening falls

 The boat docks at the landing on schedule

Venus and the faintest moon emerge in tandem

As foreseen by ancient astronomers

 I look back over my shoulder

At my adventure as if it was a fable 

As if it all only happened in a dream

A profound dream that buoys me away at night

That glimmers in distant hopes and imagined plans

 The End

January 2015