San Francisco 5/08

The Changing Light

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




Lawrence Ferlinghetti