THE CHANGING LIGHT

web | The Sun Is but a Morning Star

The changing light
                              at San Francisco
is none of your East Coast light
                            none of your
                                    pearly light of Paris
The light of San Francisco
                                          is a sea light
                                                               an island light
And the light of fog
                               blanketing the hills
                 drifting in at night
                                          through the Golden Gate
                                                                      to lie on the city at dawn
And then the halcyon late mornings
              after the fog burns off
                      and the sun paints white houses
                                                        with the sea light of Greece
                                with sharp clean shadows
                                          making the town look like
                                                        it had just been painted

But the wind comes up at four o'clock
                                                            sweeping the hills

And then the veil of light of early evening

And then another scrim
                                  when the new night fog
                                                                      floats in
And in that vale of light
                                   the city drifts
                                                      anchorless upon the ocean

2000

© Lawrence Ferlinghetti
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© E-publisher LiterNet, 04.05.2010
The Sun Is but a Morning Star. Anthology of American Literature. Edited by Albena Bakratcheva. Varna: LiterNet, 2008-2010