My Vista

My Vista

A few footsteps
up the path
from our house
leads you to the edge
of the bluffs,
from which
you can face
up the coast,
or spin
on your heels
and look down
the coast.

I think
days like this
are the most exhilarating
of all;
the air is charged,
and there is
the anticipation
of not knowing
which patio chair
may go flying
in which direction.

There is nothing
between us
and the Pacific.
It feels exciting,
and great
and alive
and intriguing
and dangerous
and thrilling
and real.

The sky is at
its most compelling,
with constantly shifting
balances
of dark and light,
which double their efforts
in the colors
reflected in the ocean.


I will never get over
just how stunning
this expanse
of sky and water
is,
and how in turn
it opens
the expanse of something
unspeakable
within me.

Alex Shapiro March 2006